Excitement builds for Localmotion Fall Festival of Arts

Sep. 16—People can create music and art while enjoying music and art of others at the Localmotion Fall Festival of Arts.

The festival, which runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday in Muskogee's Depot District, offers a variety of musical acts, an art show and sale, arts and crafts booths and food trucks.

People can play tunes on four artistically painted pianos available around Depot Green.

Becky Lucht, president of the Muskogee Art Guild, said she and other artists are painting the pianos.

"Various people put them on Facebook Marketplace to give away," Lucht said. "I think we got one through Zomac Music. One is an upright, the rest are spinets."

The pianos have been tuned and will be available for anyone who wants to play a tune or simply tap the keys.

"It's a spontaneous little concert for anyone who feels like it," Lucht said.

Terri Postlethwait painted some musicians playing in front of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Postlethwait said the biggest challenge of painting a piano is "all the curves."

"And I don't have as steady hand as I'm used to," she said, adding that she uses acrylic paint. "This is my piano that I donated."

Lucht said her piano, Moo-zart and Baa-ch, features a cow and sheep portraying the wigged classical composers.

"The rest of the piano is spotted like a cow," she said.

Joel Everett said he's painting an upright piano he had as a youngster.

Muskogee artists also created scenes on plywood that children can color in with paint, Lucht said.

"With a grant, we were able to buy four big sheets of plywood, and Sherwin-Williams donated some paint for us and other painting supplies," she said. "We'll have them set up by the art tents in the middle of the green. We'll have paint out there and brushes and hopefully, will have some aprons for kids."

The art guild also will have art for show and sale under a tent at Depot Green.

"We have everything from photography, ceramics, paintings, prints, scratchboard," Lucht said. "We're going to be there from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m."

Live acts will perform through most of the day on a stage on the east side of Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Fort Gibson singer-songwriter Ahna Jennings will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Ann Bell, called Tulsa's "First Lady of Soul" will be inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame at 7 p.m. Saturday with a free concert. Bell is considered a pioneer of the famed Tulsa Sound, a blend of country, rock and blues that came out of Tulsa in the mid-20th Century.

She has performed with the GAP Band, J.J. Cale, and Gary Busey. In 1973, Bell began touring and recording with Leon Russell. She left to tour with Joe Cocker in 1977.

People can also experience a little territorial "history" when the Three Rivers Pistoliers conduct train robbery reenactments through the day.

Cruis'n Angels will show a variety of cars, trucks and rods on the Muskogee Little Theatre parking lot, 311 S. Third St.

If you go

WHAT: Localmotion Fall Festival of Arts.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.

WHERE: Muskogee Depot District, including Depot Green and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.

Live Musical Acts:

—11 a.m. — Travis Fite and Monica Taylor.

—Noon — Sancho.

—1 p.m. — Billy Arnett Band.

—2 p.m. — Reversing Radio.

—3 p.m. — Susan Herndon & The Bella Counsel.

—4 p.m. — Selby Minner and Blues on the Move.

Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame

—6 p.m. — Ahna Jennings.

—7 p.m. — Induction of Tulsa Sound pioneer Ann Bell into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, followed by a performance.