By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Each year the Black Swamp Arts Festival presents awards to the top artists, high school groups that compete in Beats on the Streets and the Chalk Walk contests, and to an outstanding volunteer.
The BSAF committee created a new award this year called the Founders Award to honor the legacy of Sandy Wicks, an essential founder and backer of the first and subsequent Black Swamp Arts Festivals, who died earlier this year. Wicks, who started Grounds for Thought, led and inspired the local art community and made a profound difference in Bowling Green and in the world as a whole.
The inaugural Founders Award was awarded to Ben’s for its support of the festival since the beginning. Ben’s owner, Floyd Craft, who, along with Wicks, was one of the original founding members of the festival. He has always cared about the festival and its effect on the downtown.
“The whole point of the festival in year one was to encourage folks to come downtown to see what downtown BG had to offer,” said his daughter Amy Craft Ahrens. “And even at the age of 90, he still asks about the festival’s performance each year and sales numbers, etc.”
Though he stopped being a committee member about 20 years ago, he has maintained a connection to the festival committee and supports the festival each year with donations.
“He always wants to know what’s happening and information about new artists and the merchandise,” she said. “He loves this festival and wants it to succeed.”
The 2026 Dan Baglione Service Award was presented to Chris and Jean Geist. This award was established to recognize an outstanding volunteer, supporter, or advocate for their service to the Black Swamp Arts Festival.
According to the festival’s Facebook page, “If you’ve been to the festival, you’ve seen Jean and Chris. Every year they volunteer their time in every area of the festival as well as donate funds to support us and champion the arts. The Geists don’t just support BSAF, they volunteer at many events throughout Bowling Green and truly love their community.”
The Geists were surprised and humbled by the award.
“There are so many more well-deserving Swamp volunteers! We were totally gobsmacked,” Jean said, thanking the festival committee. “We share the Baglione award with all of the festival volunteers! It is the weekend we all look forward to, and it couldn’t happen without the support of the whole community.”
The honor reflects the legacy of Dan Baglione, who was one of the founding members of the Black Swamp Arts Festival and served in the role of Site and Logistics chair for the first five years of the festival. He had an enthusiastic, energetic, and inventive spirit, and his vision laid the groundwork for the festival’s current Site and Logistics Committee. Baglione lived graciously and courageously with cancer until his death in 2002.
David Dupont will have a story about the art winners later this week, and a separate story about the Teen Arts winners and Youth Arts can be found here.
For more information and to connect to the festival, visit www.blackswampfest.org, Black Swamp Arts Festival on Facebook and @blackswampfest on X, Instagram, and TikTok.
