A community arts event in Austin has won a statewide award before it has even been held.

The first Austin Community Arts in the Park — to be held Sunday, Aug. 30 and featuring music, performing and visual arts and crafts — has received Honorable Mention in the 25th Anniversary Minnesota Community Pride Competition Showcase.

The event is believed to be the first of its kind on this scale in Austin, said Sue Radloff, who is co-organizing the event with Karen Sundal and the Austin Area Arts Center and Austin Community Arts in the Park Committee.

Arts in the Park was given the honor via online voting for the 10,000 and over category in Arts and Culture. The finalists for online voting in the category are Historic Downtown Willmar/Willmar Design Center (Kandiyohi County) and Minneapolis’ Neighborhood Revitalization Program.

First place in each comprehensive category is awarded $1,000; second place gets $750; and all honorable mentions receive $250.

According to organizers, they entered the contest “to spotlight the good things happening in our community, to inspire others and connect people and talent with ingenuity to spotlight the richness of that talent and spirit right here within our own community — which helps us all to thrive.” They qualified for the competition because their event was already in the works.

The contest, sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost, The Blandin Foundation and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., will announce the winners at the Minnesota State Fair Sept. 6.

Radloff explained that Arts in the Park was started after some brainstorming about what could be done to showcase artistic talent in the community.

“We were just going to have a music event, and then we decided, ‘Why not include all the arts?’” Radloff said.

She and Sundal consulted with area artists, who emphatically agreed such an event would be a great opportunity to showcase what the area has to offer.

“Yes, yes, yes, Austin needs this,” Radloff said.

After realizing its magnitude, the event was moved from Radloff’s barn to the Veterans Pavilion and Bandshell Park to accommodate the performances, exhibits and vendors.

Radloff, a retired public schools music teacher who now teaches privately and part-time at Austin Catholic Schools, said Arts in the Park “runs the gamut — fine arts, jewelry and crafts, pottery, watercolor oils, prints. In music, we have three dance companies, we have Riverland theater, we have a famous storyteller — Mike Cotter — we have family musicians, we have a big band.”

“We’ve tried to explore everything you would call an art,” she said.

Non-profit organizations and food vendors will also be at the event.

Music and dance will be performed in the bandshell, and children’s storytelling, Kindermusik and poetry will take place on a smaller stage. Most of the art will be on display in the pavilion.

“It gets bigger every day,” Radloff said. “Now we are just hoping people will come to it.”

Registration is full for stage performers, but registration forms are still available for artists. To obtain a form, contact Karen Sundal at 437-1144.

Mayor Tom Stiehm will also give a mayoral proclamation at 10 a.m. Monday at city hall.

Austin Community Arts in the Park will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 30. The event is free.