A golden festival of the arts

MARBLEHEAD – Marblehead Festival of the Arts celebrates its 50th anniversary this July 4 weekend.To commemorate the occasion, the Marblehead Festival of Arts invited 50 local amateur and professional artists to decorate large wooden codfish using an artistic medium of their choosing.The cods are sold via an online auction, ?Fifty Cods for Fifty Festivals,? through Sunday, the last day of the festival.The fish is emblematic of the town, and several people in Marblehead have a similar wooden cod on their home, said Mary Alice Alexander, exhibition co-chair and past president in 1990 (the festival?s 25th anniversary).Her daughter, Kate, was one of the designers of the cod this year called “The Town Squared.”?If you drive around town, you?ll see cods as a symbol of Marblehead,” Alexander said. “That?s why we chose it as our base image to do a commemorative 50th anniversary project.”Alexander said bids are sprinkled across different regions of Massachusetts, mostly on the North Shore, and some are pouring in from out of the state.Exhibit co-chair Tammy Picone Nohelty, whose daughter, Lauren, designed a ?Dia de los Muertos? cod, said most of the wooden codfish range from $315 to $470. Money raised will support future Marblehead Festival of the Arts programs and scholarships.Annabelle Kearney, who plans to attend Berklee College of Music?s five-week summer performance program, is the 2015 Milton Bloom Student Arts Scholarship winner; and Jacob Sundlie, who intends to major in musical theater at Otterbein University in Ohio this fall, was awarded the 2015 Senior Art Scholarship.?Although all of our cods are high-caliber, artists put a value on their individual work,” Nohelty said, who is an art teacher in town. “For instance, Carolyn Jundzilo-Comer is asking people to bid $1,000 for her oil-paint-on-wood cod.”Nohelty said the festival surviving 50 years is impressive considering it is run by an all-volunteer organization.Lynne DeVoe, 72, immediate past president of the festival – the only past president to serve four consecutive terms – said the festival is the longest-serving all-volunteer organization in the United States.DeVoe said the festival is run primarily by middle-aged and retired volunteers. But students and young adults also contribute. Festival admission is free, but a fish bowl in each exhibit asks for cash donations.There are seven locations and 13 exhibits in a 1 1/2-mile-radius, DeVoe said. There is also trolley service from a satellite parking lot at Marblehead High School from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.?It?s a tradition,” DeVoe said. “Many people were kids when they started and now bring their families that they raised. Most people are from our town and surrounding towns. One family, who previously lived in Marblehead, travels from South Carolina to participate in a sand sculpture contest.”Last year, 4,500 people browsed through the four-day exhibit, and the children?s festival at Old North Church logged 1,500 people, according to police.President Bill Smalley said along with the cod auction, organizers published a program with all of the logos since the festival began in 1963, distributed to Marblehead and Salem residents.Another 50-year highlight was the first festival president Peggy Stone in 1963, who is now 92, returned Thursday for a commemorative past president reception.?We had a well-received crowd last night,” Smalley said. “Twelve out of 25 past presidents came, and the beautiful weather resulted in a good time had by all.”DeVoe said the festival costs $150,000 to organize and is largely funded by donations as well as a boat building workshop, art auction gala party and champagne reception. The latter cost $50 per person.For information, visit https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?vhost=mfoa.