3rd Art Fest set Sept.10

The Town again presents its 3rd annual Art Fest from 1 to 3 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 10, at Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd.

More than 1,000 attended last year’s interactive event, and “we’re planning for that many (this year). It’s a popular event,” Town Parks and Rec director Ron Oestreich said. Being new to the Town, he added, “I’m excited to see it for the first time. We’ve been planning for it.

“It’s really a tribute to different types of art,” Oestreich said. “We open up our parking lot here at the community center, and we have different stations for kids and their parents to visit and practice and do fun, little art projects.

Sponsored through the Arts and Beautification Committee, its members, along with Parks & Rec Council staff and volunteers will be on hand at each station of the free family event to “make sure everything is fun and kids are having a great time,” he said.

“We have spin art, which is always a big hit,” Oestreich said. “That’s where you have the machines that are spinning, you put paper on them, you squeeze paint onto the paper and it spins and creates really fun art.”

At other stations, children can decorate balloons with stickers, paint a masterpiece on easels, decorate their own bookmarks and sun visors and paint rocks.

“We also have scratch-off masks,” Oestreich said. “It’s a mask that is all black but it has a surface under it, and you scratch off the black and you can create all kinds of different designs using a wood pencil. New this year, we will have seed planting. They can plant seeds into little cups.

“It’s a rain or shine event,” Oestreich said. “If it’s raining, we’ll be inside the community center, but we’re hoping for a nice sunny day. Anyone can come.”

All the artwork will be displayed in a drying area next to the community center.

“Once it’s dry, especially the easel painting, then the children can take their art work home,” he said.

Parking is available on the lower part of the parking lot “because the senior center won’t be open,” Oestreich said. “They can park in the upper parking lot as well.”

Some spillover parking may be available at Faith Lutheran Church’s near parking lot.

For more information, contact Recreation & Event manager Rachel Malone at 865-218-3376 or HYPERLINK “mailto:rmalone@townoffarragut.org”rmalone@townoffarragut.org.