1 of 3 The Habitat for Humanity house, under construction on 12th Street.
2 of 3 Volunteers working on the Habitat for Humanity House, being constructed amidst the Arts Festival.
3 of 3 Onlookers enjoy music from the band "Some Friends" on Saturday.
(Des Moines, IA) -- The Des Moines Arts Festival held its second day on Saturday. Crowds enjoyed a wide variety of artists displaying their work, and also a number bands performing live, including the Marshall Tucker Bank on Saturday evening.
"We have had great talent," said Colleen Murphy, Director of Community Relations for the Arts Festival, "our stage has just been amazing. We've been really impressed with the caliber of music lineup that our operations director has lined up for us this year, and people are really enjoying it." She says the festival also has 195 participating artists, 28 food vendors, and five beverage stations run by nonprofits.
Part of this year's display includes the return of a Habitat for Humanity house, currently being constructed in the middle of 12th Street in the south part of the festival area at Western Gateway Park in Downtown Des Moines.
Jenna Ekstrom, with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity, says the project is part of a bigger goal. "The Arts Festival allows us to really elevate our message of bringing affordable housing all throughout central Iowa to a really different crowd than we're normally able to talk to," she said. Exterior construction of the five-bedroom house was slated to wrap up by the end of Saturday, with an open house scheduled for Sunday. The interior of the home is expected to be completed once it is moved, via semi trailer, from 12th Street to its permanent location.
The festival lasts for one more day, Sunday, June 30th, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. The Des Moines Arts festival dates back to the 1950s. Learn more at their website.