Julian Azcary Montes visited the 50th Smoky Valley River Festival in Salina. The annual "epic art party" unfolds over four days of live music, art installations, an art market, and more.

Azcary Montes spoke with some of the participating artists and Anna Pauscher Morawitz with the City of Salina's Division of Arts & Culture.

"We bring all these artists together and they create magic," Pauscher Morawitz said.

"4 Days in June," a 75-minute documentary about the festival, will screen from July 10-15 at the Art Center Cinema at the Salina Art Center. Produced by Fili Creative in partnership with the festival and Salina Arts & Humanities, the film explores "how shared experiences can create rare common ground in a divided world." Showtimes vary, and tickets are $11.25-13.25.

This video is the third in a series that highlights reoccurring events in the Wichita area and beyond. If you've never visited the Smoky Valley River Festival, Wichita Sketch Club, Salsa Night, or any number of interesting events, keep up with The SHOUT to see what you've been missing. We'd love to see you there.

Julian Azcary Montes is a curious, dedicated and passionate storyteller. As a photographer, videographer and filmmaker, he has been active in documentary and visual storytelling since 2018. He now runs Azcary Creative, a storytelling studio that partners with nonprofits, civic institutions, arts organizations, and values-driven businesses. He navigates grounded, authentic storytelling that captures transformational moments, elevates history, transfers knowledge, and discovers impact that speaks to the heart, from the heart — all to make progress on the biggest challenges.  

Support Kansas arts writing

The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation.