Almost 20,000 people attended the annual Summerlin Art Festival

Nearly 20,000 valley residents attended the Summerlin Art Festival Sept. 27 and 28 at Summerlin Centre Community Park. The sixth annual event combines two popular Summerlin traditions -- the street and sidewalk painting of La Strada dell'Arte and the outdoor festival, Celebration of the Arts.

Adopted from Italian culture, La Strada dell'Arte is a sidewalk painting festival that originated in Summerlin in 2000. This year's event featured hundreds of chalk masterpieces by aspiring artists of all ages. Local featured artist Donovan Fitzgerald transformed an 8-by-12-foot concrete canvas into a classical reproduction of "The Incredulity of Saint Thomas" by Italian baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio; while Ricardo Gutierrez created an 8-by-8-foot reproduction of Jesus Helguera's "Gesto Azteca."

Celebration of the Arts, which first came to Summerlin in 1992, is an outdoor art festival that features a collection of handmade goods from more than 120 artisans. Items include one-of-a-kind artwork for sale including paintings, glass work, pottery, jewelry, metalwork, sculpture, mixed media, clothing apparel, hand-made soaps, handcrafted dolls and woodcrafts.

Combined, the two events offered those attending the festival a richly diverse cultural experience, according to Nikkole Liesse, marketing director, The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin.

"The annual Summerlin Art Festival is a visual feast that transcends the offerings of most galleries," she said. "The two events combined featured the works of more than 200 artists, each displaying unique, custom creations that turned the soccer field into an art gallery. No doubt about it, the Summerlin Art Festival continues to grow in size and caliber every year."

The event also included entertainment, with daily performances by "Stomp Out Loud," food art demonstrations by Chef Chanh Boupha of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas, roving entertainers from The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, and live music from Ponder and jazz musician, David Van Such.

The 2008 Summerlin Art Festival was sponsored by Summerlin, KTNV-TV, Stomp Out Loud, Summerlin News, 94.1-FM and 105.7-FM.

The community is home to more than 95,000 residents who enjoy an unparalleled list of amenities. These include more than 100 neighborhood and village parks, more than 150 completed miles of the Summerlin Trail System, nine golf courses, a dozen houses of worship, shopping centers, medical and cultural facilities, business parks, 22 public and private schools and nearly 100 actively selling floor plans.

Homes are available in a variety of styles -- from single-family homes to town homes, condominiums and lofts -- priced from the mid-$200,000s to more than $2 million. Custom home sites in The Ridges are priced from the $500,000s. Luxury apartment homes offer monthly rents starting from the $900s. For more information on Summerlin, visit summerlin.com or call 888-898-5015.