Longmont celebrates 150 years with an ArtWalk block party

A celebration 150 years in the making will see a party that stretches along Main Street from Third to Longs Peak avenues, full of art, performances, musicians and vendors on September 11. The Sesquicentennial Celebration will also see the return of the first full ArtWalk on Main since 2019.

One of the highlights of the evening will be the Longmont Museum’s curator, Erik Mason, opening the 1996 Longmont Time Capsule, sealed and buried for 25 years. Mason was excited to break the seal on the capsule that was created for Longmont’s 125th anniversary. The capsule contains documents from local businesses, schools and organizations, along with essays from local school children.

“It will be very interesting to see how Longmont has changed in the 25 years since the capsule was sealed and buried,” Mason said.

Mason was also eager to see the community collaboration for Longmont’s new time capsule, the Century Chest. Born of a partnership between ArtWalk, the Longmont Museum and Longmont’s Art in Public Places Initiative, the capsule will be filled with  items representing the past year in Longmont history. Residents are invited to make their mark on the time capsule as well, adding their hand prints to a community canvas that will be sealed into the capsule. 

The Century Chest itself will be constructed of donated bicycle parts, welded on-site by DAFO Metalsmith. The capsule will remain on display in the Longmont Library, though the capsule won’t be opened until the city celebrates 250 years.

To hold space for the remembrance of the 20th anniversary of the tragic day in New York when the Twin Towers fell, Elevated Yoga Studio is opening its doors to provide a place of quiet meditation at ArtWalk. Visitors are welcome to reflect on the events of that day, along with the struggles in the two decades since. Elevated Yoga’s instructors will lead guided meditations on the hour throughout the evening at the studio’s 324 Main Street location free to the public.

Main Street will be closed to through traffic for the night, filling the street with festivities. Four stages will bring music, dance and theater performances from local touring acts, dance companies and even some St. Vrain Valley School district marching bands. Between the stages and more than 40 artists and vendors across the four block area, local food trucks, breweries and distilleries will be selling libations and snacks to fuel the fun. For the first time in the history of ArtWalk, the whole area has been turned into a beer garden instead of drinks being restricted to just one corner.

“This has never happened before. The city has been great at sharing resources and helping put this whole event together,” said Colin Argys, event and marketing coordinator for the Longmont Downtown Development Association. “It will be great for people to be able to grab a local craft beverage and walk along Main Street enjoying all the different art.”

 Firehouse Art Center’s Executive Director, Elaine Waterman, said she was thrilled at all the opportunities for live art creation and demonstrations throughout ArtWalk. There will be ceramics booths, a live art jam and mural wall and more interactive activities scattered among the booths. The historic Callahan House is holding an open house during ArtWalk, with four local artists painting on site.

Waterman’s first full ArtWalk as an organizer was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic, when the Firehouse and Creative District made the pivot to the smaller Summer on the Streets art markets. 

“I have so many happy memories of bringing my children to ArtWalk, I’m really excited to be part of the organization that is putting it on and continuing these happy memories for Longmont families,” Waterman said.