Page 2
Picture of success
Festival brings 300 artists to downtown for annual event
Both the founder andnewpresident
of the art show at Milford Memories
are looking forward to the event
because they always enjoy a good time.
“The atmosphere at this event is
just like a big party. Everyone knows
everyone and all the businesses are
involved. This is just a lot of fun,” said
Raychel Rork, the president of Art In
The Park, organizers of the art show
segment of the festival.
Rork's mother, Dianne Quinn,
founded the Milford Memories art
show 25 years ago after a call from one
of the original festival organizers,
Denise Tyler. Quinn had been produc-
ing the Art In The Park event in
Plymouth for a decade and the success
and popularity of that show prompted
Tyler ask her to bring her expertise to
theMilford event.
A quarter of a century later, she are
Rork are still enjoying Milford
Memories because, Rork said, “Milford
is a great town even when the festival
isn't going on.”
This year there will be more than
300 artists involved in the art show as
Rork and Quinn were able to use a for-
mer gas station site at Main and
Commerce where they have installed
24 additional artist's booths.
“We are looking forward to expand-
ing into this new area. It's a prime cor-
ner at an intersection. It's always great
to havemore space becausewe can get
in some of the artists we have had on a
waiting list,”Rork said.
Quinn has turned most of the man-
agement and operation of the event
over to Rork, who was named presi-
dent of the business two years ago.
Quinn said that since Rork has been at
every art show she has produced dur-
ing the past 36 years, she has absolute
confidence inher ability.
Rork, for her part, said she was
looking forward to the newresponsibil-
ity, but was glad that her mother would
still be around should she need her
help and advice. While Quinn was cer-
tainly present and helpful, Rork man-
aged the recent Plymouth Art In The
Park without a hitch, bringing more
than 400 artists into that community for
a weekend of art displays, entertain-
ment and sales.
“We have noticed that one of the
biggest attractions this year is person-
alization. People are having names or
other personalization put on items for
kids, parents, those in the military, for
See
Success,
page 3
Raychel Rork
