Art In The Park Will Showcase Local Bands And Artists, Support Partners In Care

On Sunday, September 29, Cafe Mezzanotte and the Severna Park Voice will again come together to host the fourth-annual Art in the Park live music and arts festival. The event will run from 1:00pm-5:00pm at Cafe Mezzanotte’s courtyard. Featuring musical performances, an enticing selection of food and beverages, live artist demonstrations and more, this year’s festival will benefit Partners In Care (PIC).

Founded in Anne Arundel County in 1993, PIC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping older adults live and thrive independently. PIC’s large network of volunteers provides seniors with transportation to health care appointments and grocery stores, makes small home repairs, and serves PIC members in many other ways.

Mandy Arnold, PIC’s CEO and president, shared that the nonprofit has expanded to serve five Maryland counties. Each year, hundreds of volunteers serve between 750-850 members.

“I feel like I have my independence back,” said one PIC member who is blind in one eye and has low vision in the other, and relies on PIC for transportation to doctors’ appointments.

Another member shared, “There are no family members nearby to help me. I have been facing multiple medical challenges as well as problems with my house. Partners In Care have been invaluable in providing me transportation with a wheelchair lift … Their maintenance staff have come to my house many times to help with household issues … Partners In Care has exceptional staff who go out of their way to consistently and reliably assist me.”

Arnold expressed that PIC is honored to have been selected as this year’s Art in the Park nonprofit beneficiary. “It’s very difficult to find funding for seniors, so when we get chosen for opportunities like this, it’s such a blessing,” she said.

“We get so much done with so little,” Arnold added.

Kosmas “Tommie” Koukoulis, owner of Café Mezzanotte, shared that supporting a local organization each year has been an important element of Art in the Park from the beginning. He and Severna Park Vice President of Development Jonathan Katz worked together to create the event with a focus on spotlighting local artists and musicians. Art in the Park has become a “celebration of all things artistic,” Koukoulis said, noting that the event showcases visual, auditory and culinary arts.

The Grilled Lincolns featuring Andy Hall will headline the event following an opening act by The Betas, a local electric folk band. Influenced by hip-hop, rock, jazz and reggae, The Grilled Lincolns are a locally based band that offer a unique, high-energy style that appeals to lovers of multiple music genres.

Artists giving live demonstrations of painting and other art forms will dot the event’s landscape. Area galleries that will be represented include Side Street Framers & gift gallery, Benfield Gallery/McBride Gallery, Gallery 564, Local By Design, Sand & Silo Marketplace and others.

New this year and included in the price of admission, a picnic pavilion will offer attendees all-you-can-eat fare ranging from grilled and smoked meats and seafood to pastas, vegetables and other foods for which Cafe Mezzanotte is known. Art in the Park will also feature sweet treats from Always Ice Cream as well as a beer and wine garden.

Koukoulis shared that Art in the Park was born in 2021 following a successful run of ticketed music performances at Cafe Mezzanotte. Reflecting on collaborating with Katz to conceive the event, Koukoulis said, “We were like-minded that we wanted this to be a community event; we wanted to try to focus on local artists.”

“Each year, we pick a great local nonprofit that we partner with,” he added, noting that last year’s event benefitted Providence of Maryland.

“The goal was to promote local artists, raise some money for a local charity, and have some fun doing it,” Katz echoed, explaining that each year they are mindful in selecting a nonprofit that directly serves the local community.

This year’s Art in the Park sponsors include lead sponsor KMA Law Office, beer and wine garden sponsor Jody Buck of the Key Group of Cummings and Co. Realtors, picnic pavilion sponsor Alex Schwab of Allstate Insurance, and art gallery sponsor Face It! Spa and Wellness.

Tickets for Art in the Park are $58 in advance and include unlimited access to the picnic pavilion. Those interested in attending this unique, community-based music and arts festival are encouraged to purchase tickets early, as the event sold out last year, and can do so by following the Art in the Park link on the events page at www.cafemezzanotte.com.