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From left, Brian Johnson of Basho and DJ Galvin of Urban Handmade organized the first Cyclops Festival in Yellow Springs this weekend. (Photo by Megan Bachman)
Cyclops Fest fosters Dayton DIY culture
- Published: September 15, 2011
Do-it-yourself is the latest thing among the young and hip and two local trendsetters are throwing a new festival in its honor. At the first Cyclops Fest on Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Bryan Center lawn, handmade goods, local art, homegrown music and the culture of DIY will be on display — and for sale. It’s a Miami Valley-wide event happening in its logical home, Yellow Springs, where local is loved, according to organizers.
Basho, along with local shop Urban Handmade and members of Handmade Dayton, are putting on the festival to support area arts and crafts people competing with the mega-retailers and their imported wares. At the festival, upwards of 50 vendors will be on hand to sell their homemade products (no imports allowed). Jewelry, apparel, home accessories, handbags and paper goods are just the beginning. There will also be bike and skate demos, a raucous roller derby on the Bryan Center tennis courts, children’s activities and on-site screen printing.
The music line-up is truly eclectic. The Yellow Springs band Wheels, a four-piece group of local teens, can be expected to deliver their jaunty folk music with bluegrass roots and pop harmonies. Dayton DJ Ruckus Roboticus, armed with a turntable and drum machine, will mix up funk and hip-hop. Columbus quartet Tin Armor, just named a “Band to Watch” by Columbus alt-weekly Alive, will play some pop punk and indie rock. And WYSO “Jazz Forward” host Nicky Illiopolis will spin together a signature blend of jazz, funk, drum and bass and old-school hip hop. Dancing seems likely.
The event’s first 150 customers, who will get “swag bags” filled with free handmade goodies from each of the festival’s vendors and some local shops as well.
See the Sept. 8 issue of the YS News for the full story and visit http://www.cyclopsfest.com for more information on the festival.
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