Kensington Labor Day Festivities Focus on Art and Community

This weekend Kensington will celebrate Labor Day with an artistic flourish: in addition to the 47th Annual Kensington Labor Day Parade and Festival, the town will host its annual Paint the Town arts festival and related Plein Air Competition.

“Kensington’s annual Labor Day festivities showcase the creative spirit that makes our town so vibrant and engaging,” said Mayor Peter Fosselman. “Residents from across Montgomery County are welcome to join us in this celebration of community.”

Paintings and sculptures by various area artists will be on display at the Kensington Town Hall from Saturday through Monday as part of the community’s annual Paint the Town celebration run by the Montgomery Art Association. Art will be available for viewing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Monday.

Meanwhile, starting at sunrise on Saturday morning, artists will disperse throughout the town to paint Kensington’s scenery as part of a Plein Air Competition. At 3 p.m. that day, they will turn in their work for judging and awards. This year’s judge, area artist Glen Kessler, was last year’s Plein Air Competition winner.

Award-winners for Paint the Town and its related Plein Air Competition will be announced during a reception on Saturday evening from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

On Monday, September 1 at 10 a.m., area residents will gather at St. Paul Park for the 47th Annual Kensington Labor Day Parade, which features local marching bands from area schools, equestrian show groups, dance groups and floats. Led by Kensington resident Toni Ward as Grand Marshal, the parade will include representatives from local churches, schools and non-profit organizations as well as federal, state and local officials.

Onlookers may gather along the parade route, which runs south on Connecticut Avenue from Plyers Mill Road, east on Baltimore Street, north on Kensington Parkway, south on Fawcett Street and ends at Mitchell Street. Some parade participants will stop at the grandstand across from the Post Office on Kensington Parkway to give two-minute performances.

Road closures for the event will begin at 8:45 a.m. on Monday; the parking lot of Kensington’s Safeway on Connecticut Avenue between Howard and Knowles avenues will also be closed for the parade.

Following the parade, onlookers are invited to attend the weekend’s signature event: the 47th Annual Kensington Labor Day Festival. Held on Armory and Howard avenues until 3 p.m., the festival offers an international array of foods, along with diverse vendors and activities for children of all ages.

To learn more, visit www.ExploreKensington.com.