Forty-odd years ago a small group of people gathered to plan some sort of “art” event for the Aberdeen area.  Arts in the Park was born and remains a testimony to what a good idea and a lot of hard work can do.  Held every June in Aberdeen’s beautiful Melgaard Park, it is the culmination of months of labor on the part of a number of volunteers in the Aberdeen Area Arts Council trying to plan a festival to surpass the one of the years before. With the help of participant feedback, this goal is attained year after year.  Arts in the Park is a two-day juried festival drawing applicants from 12 or more states throughout the region and features more than 100 booths, numerous food vendors and local and regional entertainment.  Featuring the whimsical through the sublime, Arts in the Park is one of the city’s premier summer events and a regional and state-wide treasure, drawing approximately 18-20,000 patrons annually.