ScrapFest

ScrapFest, an annual art festival focusing on upcycled and repurposed artwork, returns to Turner Street in Old Town 5 to 9 p.m. Friday (July 12) and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday (July 13). Celebrating its 14^th year, the event began as a scrap metal artwork competition and has grown to include art vendors, family activities, live music, food, an 8K run/walk and a fashion show.

Teams of local artists have created scrap metal sculptures that will be displayed throughout the two-day event. The pieces are being sold in a silent auction on the festival’s website, scrapfest.com/scrapfest-14-sculptures. Bidding will be open until 5:30 p.m. Saturday, with 70% of the proceeds directly supporting the artists, 20% supporting ScrapFest and 10% going to Lansing SAVE, a program that provides Lansing School District students in kindergarten through ninth grade with savings accounts to help them start saving money for college or career training expenses.

The annual Refashion Show, beginning 7 p.m. Friday on the main stage, will showcase sustainable and repurposed clothing made by community members with scrap fabric. There will also be live music on the main stage throughout the festival: Ozay Moore and DJ Y’z will spin tunes Friday evening, and Jonathan Watt, Dylan Tolbert, Pinter Whitnick, the Mark Lavengood Trio and the Darin Larner Band will perform on Saturday.

The Great Scrap Run, an 8K run/walk on the Lansing River Trail, begins 9 a.m. Saturday at the parking area on the corner of Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and Turner Street. Registration is $35 at runsignup.com/Race/MI/Lansing/TheGreatScrapRun. There will also be a free half-mile fun run for kids beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The festival will also feature a variety of eco-art vendors, educational booths and two food trucks. In addition, from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, REACH Studio Art Center will offer scrap metal craft activities, and Waverly Robotics will showcase some of its student-made robots.

To learn more about all the festival’s events, visit scrapfest.com.