Arts fest is up and running

The 29th Utah Arts Festival begins today, kicking off a four-day lineup that includes a plastic-wrap installation, a Neil Diamond tribute, recitation of "60-second novels," and a dance troupe that will rappel off the sides of the Salt Lake City library.

The festival opens at noon at Library Square, 200 E. 400 South, and runs until 11 p.m. Kids 12 and under are free; tickets for adults are $7 and seniors $4. The "lunchtime special," from noon to 3 p.m. today and Friday, costs $4.

The festival includes 130 visual art booths, food booths, a Fear No Film short-film festival in the library auditorium, a "Mad Hatter" art project for children, music and dance on three stages, and poetry readings at the Big Mouth Cafe.

A highlight of the festival, which runs through Sunday evening, is Project Bandaloop, an Oakland, Calif. aerial troupe that blends the derring-do of rock climbing with the gracefulness of dance. Project Bandaloop performs throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday.

In the past, the troupe has danced off the side of the Seattle Space Needle and the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Today's music performances include Brazilian jazz on the Amphitheater stage at 9:45 p.m., the Saliva Sisters at 10 p.m. on the Festival Stage, and Wiseguys comedy at Big Mouth Cafe at 8 p.m.

Other performances, from folk to funk, begin at noon and run until closing time.

For a full schedule of events, go to www.uaf.org or call 322-2428.