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Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Art by the River draws thousands By Ron Giofu
An end-of-summer favourite returned to Amherstburg for its 59th year. Art by the River was held at Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada over the weekend and drew thousands of people over the two days. The event is presented by and is a fundraiser for the Gibson Gallery. Tracy Atkinson, office administrator for the Gibson Gallery, was pleased with how it went. She noted there were a total of 177 vendors. “We’ve had the most vendors we’ve ever had,” she said. “The entertainment is amazing. We had a line-up of people wanting to get in. That’s a good sign.” Artists and artisans were mainly from around Windsor-Essex County, though Atkinson stated there were some from the Greater Toronto Area and one from outside the province. “Manitoba is the farthest (vendor),” she said. The bulk of the vendors are returnees from last year, Atkinson added, estimating about 75 per cent were at Art by the River in 2025. Like most years, there was a wide variety of artists
Emma Fleming was one of the plein air artists at Art by the River.
and artisans. “There’s a little bit of everything,” said Atkinson. “You can get anything you want here.” With next year’s Art by the River being the 60th annual, the Gibson Gallery is planning special attractions in conjunction with Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada. Atkinson pointed out that every Art by the River has been at Fort Malden. “It’s quite a partnership between us,” said Atkinson. “We’re looking forward to doing different things. Next year, we hope to be doing things bigger and better.” In addition to the vendors and entertainment, there was the return of the plein air art competition, food, cannon firings and the kids’ zone. Local author John Schlarbaum returned to his vendor position along the Detroit River and reported there was a good amount of people streaming by. “We’ve had steady traffic all day,” Schlarbaum said the afternoon of Aug. 29. “This year, it seems to be a very steady crowd.” Weather took a slight turn the next day, with rain impacting part of the day though crowds picked up once the rain moved out of the area. Schlarbaum believed people were enjoying themselves, noting the people walking by with bags and artwork in their hands. “It’s good to see people supporting Canadian artists and artisans,” said Schlarbaum. Sales of his books were reported to be good, with Schlarbaum stating people were responsive to his books on the “Steve Cassidy” character and the books that are set in Amherstburg. Elizabeth MacDonald was one of the plein air artists on hand. “It’s one of my favourite locations to paint,” she said of Amherstburg. MacDonald said her plein air artist group enjoys painting in King’s Navy Yard Park and appreciates opportunities to paint inside of Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada.
Sandra Ellis paints as Meredith and Margo Sanger watch (above) while crowds stream through Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada at Art by the River (below).
Continued on Page 9
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