SPEEDWAY, Ind. (WISH) – Speedway’s West Indy Art and Music Festival celebrated its fourth year on Saturday.
The festival brought together seven local bands, including over 350 local musicians, performing at Meadowood Park.
“It’s really hard to find places for community bands to perform, so I originally contacted Tammy to find a place for us to perform. The idea of having one or two bands turned into seven bands, and that’s how we’ve stuck it out for the last four years,” said Lori Doran, a member of the West Indy Winds Community Band leadership team.
Tammy Smith is Speedway’s park director and coordinates art vendors for the festival.
“Besides the music, it’s nice that the artists and craftspeople can come together and show the community what they’ve made,” said Smith. “We only let people come to this festival who have made their own stuff. We have everything from photographers to artists. Today we have a really cool cartoonist.”
The festival also featured a beer and wine garden as well as several food options.
Cie’s Treats has been a part of the event for years and their general manager, Tasha Johnson, enjoys connecting with all attendees. The dessert spot offers a wide variety of treats and is known for its ability to create bespoke desserts to order.
“It’s about community,” Johnson said. “It’s about love. It’s about family. It’s about fun and meeting new people, meeting new dealers and just being a part of Speedway, which we’ve really enjoyed.”
It is also a priority for leaders to ensure that the community benefits.
The event included an instrument drive to benefit young musicians in the area. The drive collected instruments for local children, which were then restored and given away to others.
“We also offer scholarships to high school students who also need financial assistance to play in the band,” Doran said.
If bands are interested in participating in next year’s event, they can contact the West Indy Winds Band directly through Facebook. Interested artists or vendors should submit their application to the City of Speedway in the spring.
