Festival to offer music lineup, game show trivia, jewelry vendors and even some in-between.

Revival in Akron is one of the stores that will be featured at the Black Squirrel Festival tomorrow. Crickett Bowman | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: DKS Editors

Revival in Akron is one of the stores that will be featured at the Black Squirrel Festival tomorrow. Crickett Bowman | Daily Kent Stater

Credit: DKS Editors

Credit: DKS Editors

Credit: DKS Editors

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’

The Sunny Game Show Tour will be at Risman Plaza 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The tour is to promote the fourth season of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” which premieres on FX at 10 p.m. on Sept. 18.

Kenya Hardaway, director of integrated promotions at FX said, “The idea for the game show tour came out of an experimental tour that we did last year to promote the seasons 1 and 2 DVD and the season 3 premiere. We were fascinated by how much the fans knew about the show and so this year we wanted to reward the fans for what they know.”

Game show players compete for prizes including apparel, DVD sets and a grand prize of the Official Dumpster Baby Trophy. Fans of the show may remember the third-season episode where the gang finds a baby in a dumpster and attempts to use it to make money.

According to Hardaway, the production schedule for “It’s Always Sunny” prevents any of the actors from appearing. The stars did record video responses for the game show, which will play upon correct and incorrect answers.

Kent State is the sixth stop on the tour, and Hardaway says that so far, “The fans are really enjoying it. We’re really happy about how things are coming together.”

If you want to flex your skills early on, prepare for the fun, or both, an Internet version is available at sunnygameshow.com.

-Robert Checkal

Open Space Art Gallery

John Kluth, owner of the Open Space Art Gallery, creates his art from the view of the people around him. His art is formed from the idea that art can help you with yourself, be it changing your mood or completely inspiring you, Kluth said.

The Open Space Art Gallery displays works from Kluth along with providing a space where local artists can display their own work. The gallery also provides art classes along with aerobics and yoga classes.

The types of art Kluth produces are often along the lines of an oriental genre with Chinese brush paintings, woodcarvings and wood jewelry, but he also sells his own jams and marmalades. Kluth’s pieces at the Black Squirrel Festival will range from 25 cents to $500, which is admittedly for a little show. Most of his pieces are less than $10, focusing on the students and their price range.

-Nicole Aikens

Psycho Reindeer T-Shirt Company

Since 1999, Scott Schulman has designed and printed T-shirts for his oddly named business, the Psycho Reindeer T-Shirt Company.

Based out of Stow, Psycho Reindeer is run by Schulman and his wife, Jennifer. They print all the shirts in a small building in their backyard. The business began when Schulman attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and was interested in making rock concert posters. Schulman said people knew he had a print screen and asked him about making T-shirts. He recently made this his full-time job after quitting his position as a graphic designer at Knox Marketing in Akron.

The name comes from a Christmas present Jennifer gave him one year, a stuffed reindeer that Schulman found to be odd looking enough to name his company after.

Besides his booth at Black Squirrel Festival, Schulman said he will hopefully do six other events this year.

– Garrison Ebie

Tropical Trends

For 19 years Tropical Trends and its “unique” gifts have been part of the Black Squirrel Festival.

“We really enjoy it,” Wendy Rinehart, owner of Tropical Trends, said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Tropical Trends sells clothing, sterling silver jewelry, wallets, pottery, home accessories and more. When the store comes to Kent, the owners will bring handmade goods such as hats and clothes for those cold Ohio winters.

“I hate to use the word hippie, but that’s kind of what they are,” Rinehart said about the clothing. “All cotton, made in India, free flowing, kind of comfortable clothing. Not your average stuff.”

Music, particularly the Grateful Dead, has a big influence on the store. The store started after Rinehart followed the Grateful Dead on tour and sold items at its concerts.

As Rinehart said, “(Tropical Trends is) a very unusual store.”

If students miss the Tropical Trends booth, they can check out the store at one of its three locations in Columbus.

-Pamela Crimbchin

The Jewelry Hut

The Jewelry Hut has been a vendor at the Black Squirrel Festival for the past seven years and will be at the festival Friday. Surya Singh, who has owned the store for 10 years, will sell silver jewelry, beaded necklaces and clothing. Singh said he keeps coming back to the Black Squirrel Festival because he does good business at it. “We sell a lot of jewelry,” he said.

-Kristen Kotz

Revival

Among the many vendors selling goods at the Black Squirrel Festival is Robyn Yuratovac, co-owner of the clothing store Revival.

Yuratovac, who co-owns the store with her brother, Adam, said Revival was born four years ago out of their desire to open a store together. Both she and her brother were working in retail, but in different parts of the state. Yuratovac said the store in Akron was perfect for them. The selling point was in close vicinity to an indie record store.

“We have most of the same customers,” Yuratovac said. “Usually they go in there, then come in here and shop afterwards.”

Revival is located on West Market Street in Akron, and it sells vintage and used clothes. It also sells designer clothes, including some from local designers. Revival has “an eclectic mix of everything” Yuratovac said.

Yuratovac said she will bring mostly accessories to the festival, including jewelry and purses, but she will also bring T-shirts that Adam has screen-printed using the printing press in the basement of the shop.

Yuratovac also plans to bring some new clothes. She said people generally stop by Revival the same day they have previewed items at the Black Squirrel Festival.

“We have been (to Black Squirrel Festival) the last two years, and it’s a lot of fun,” Yuratovac said. “We like to showcase what we have.”

-Meghan Bogardus