Downtown Council Hosts Picnic Area at Double Decker

Andi Bedsworth’s Art to Go class painted this Adirondack rocker tiled “Mustache Man” for the Double Decker Picnic Area on Saturday, April 27. Silent auction bids on the chair start at $100.

Fest-goers can sit and chill as handcrafted furniture is silent-auctioned

The Oxford Downtown Council will host its second annual Double Decker Picnic Area in the parking lot adjacent to City Hall during the Double Decker Arts Festival Presented by C Spire Wireless on Saturday, April 27. Local artists will feature painted six-foot picnic tables, Adirondack rockers, and folding chairs that will be auctioned off via a silent auction on Saturday, with proceeds benefiting the local Boys & Girls Club.

“The Council is proud to continue what proved to be a tremendous success at last year’s Double Decker festival,” said its president Mark Huelse. “Last year we were able to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club by auctioning off beautifully painted picnic tables, and this year we’ve added Adirondack rockers and folding chairs to the auction.”

In addition to benefitting the Boys & Girls Club by selling these artistic pieces of furniture, crafted in Pontotoc, the picnic area serves as a space for festival-goers to sit and enjoy their food, Huelse said. The silent auction will last from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Local artists who have donated their time and talent to paint items include Lucius Lamar, Jeffrey Allen, Whitney Allen, Nicole Lamar, Vicki Stevens, Pam Locke, Kara Giles of Nest Paper Studio, Ian Cleary, Sarah Kathryn Dossett of Studio Whimzy, Summer Vanderboegh’s OUS class, Andi Bedsworth’s Art to Go classes, Nancy Mitchell, and Hannah McCormick.

Some of the art items will be displayed around the Square leading up to Saturday.

Interested Oxonians may follow the Oxford Downtown Council on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

The Oxford Downtown Council strives to support the merchants and businesses around the historic Oxford Square. Council members include Ajax, Amelia, Amy Head Cosmetics, BancorpSouth, Belles & Beaus, CambinoTech Computer Services, CSR Real Estate, Dwight N. Ball, Elite Cabinetry, Endurance Athletics, Ferriday McClatchy Events, First National Bank of Oxford, Grantham Poole, High Point Coffee, Hinton & Hinton, Holcomb Dunbar, Holli’s Sweet Tooth, Ice Core Fitness, Indigo’s, Knit1 Oxford, La Paz Restaurant & Cantina, LuLu’s, Marchbanks Real Estate, McEwen’s Oxford, M&F Bank, Mid South Financial Group, Miss Behavin’, Miss Monogram, Mitchell, McNutt & Sams, Nella, Nest Paper Studio, Oxford Bridal, Oxford Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, Oxford Floral, Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, Pink and Proper, Private Galley, Proud Larry’s, Regions Bank, Rooster’s Blues House, Square Books, Something Southern, Stash, The Frame Up, The J.E. Neilson Co., The Kaleidoscope, The Lily Pad, The Oxford Eagle, Therapy, Tollison Law Firm, Trout Law Firm, University Sporting Goods, Village Tailor, Warehouse 605, YaYa’s, Yoknapatawpha Art Council, and Zoe of Oxford.

Among other artists, Nicole Lamar will paint an Adirondack rocker that will be auctioned in the Double Decker Picnic Area. Last year she painted this table, titled “Oh, Say, Can You See?”