Hundreds of visitors attended this year’s Sugar Plum Tour.

The streets of the University Park neighborhood were recently illuminated with music, dance, performance art and, most importantly, lantern lights, for the annual Light UP Lantern Festival. The event included food, a series of lantern-making workshops and artist installations, among a host of other activities. 

Click through for more photos from the event.

Akron artist Ron White was recently awarded the inaugural Akron Art Prize, the result of more than a thousand votes, but he’s not one to take a moment off and celebrate. He finished and delivered a piece to Leandra Drumm for the Light-UP Lantern Festival, which took place this past weekend in University Park. And in his studio on a recent Friday afternoon, he was working on a large charcoal drawing. This is in additional to his full-time job as art teacher at Barberton High School and part-time job as yoga instructor.

Highly active seems to be White's natural state. For the last 10 years he has worked aggressively at his art. In the last five, he has kept a working space at Redlight Galleries on North Main Street in Akron. There, he works on and shows his drawings and sculpture. Much of the work is surprisingly large considering the modest space.

Visitors view his art, watch him work, and if White has his way, spend a long time talking with him. White has a strong desire to connect with people and that has made him change his art in the last few years.

As part of Keep Akron Beautiful's Clean Up Akron Week, a number of young people met in East Akron to clean up the streets. Click through for a few photos from the group, led in part by Ameer Williamson (aka A Minus), who also mentors young people through the A New Way hip-hop program.

Young people gathered in Twinsburg Township this past weekend for the inaugural Field Day event, which is targeted toward children ages 1 to 15.

The event was organized by Nicole Lewis, a 2011 graduate of the Neighborhood Leadership Institute of Summit County. The Neighborhood Leadership Institute is funded by the United Way and promotes grass root community building. The program includes an 11-session curriculum that includes classes on leadership topics ranging from strategic planning to neighborhood development.

The Institute also helps participants serve as advocates for their families and their communities, along with hosting and promoting public events. The Field Day celebration was promoted by printed posters and word-of-mouth. Lewis estimated that approximately 75 children attended. Planned activities included team-oriented games, lunch, ice cream and dancing. To apply for the Class of 2012, visit www.uwsummit.org/NLI/NLI.htm.

Free performance this weekend is part of Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival

Neos Dance Theatre, of Mansfield, will perform two different programs this weekend at Goodyear Heights Metro Park as part of the Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival. Featured this year is Heinz Poll's Schubert Waltzes, a recent addition to the Neos repertoire. Performances Aug. 12 and 13 begin at 7:45 p.m. with a children's program.

Schubert Waltzes, based on the music of Franz Schubert, will be accompanied live by Ohio Ballet's long-time music director David Fischer. Other pieces in the program include selections from Poll's Eight by Benny Goodman, Alejando Cerrudo's Lickety-Split and Bobby Wesner's own setting of Appalachian Spring. Seating will take place on the lawn. Participants are asked to bring chairs or blankets.

Storytelling is a vital part of our culture, as traditions are passed along through this expressive artform. To honor the art of storytelling, the Akron Summit County Public Library was home to the sixth annual Akron Storytelling Festival this past weekend.

The free event included workshops and other activities, culminating with a Saturday evening concert that featured Jay O'Callahan, Suzi Whaples and Lisa & Heather Malyuk. Becky Davis of the Akron-Summit County Library, organizer of the festival, estimates an audience of 175 in the auditorium that night.

Click through to see a photo gallery from the event.