For the third consecutive year, the Chilton County Arts Council will hold an art vendor showcase event in the fall for the community.

This year, handmade folk art is the focus of the showcase.

The Folk Art Festival Showcase will be Saturday, Nov. 2 and Sunday, Nov. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the exhibition hall at Jefferson State Community College’s Chilton-Clanton Center on Lay Dam Road.

More than 40 local and out-of-town art vendors will sell handmade items, some of which will be crafted on-site.

Admission to the event is free and open to people of all ages.

Items exhibitors will offer include jewelry, glass, pottery, paintings and other decorative objects.

Elizabeth Byrd, with the Chilton County Arts Council, said although the showcase will feature primarily folk art, fine art would also be available.

Folk art can be defined as art originating from the people of a region that reflects their traditional culture, and typically produced by artists who have not been through formal training.

“Folk art and fine art were always encouraged to be in both of our past events, but our artists requested to have a separate fine art show,” Byrd said. “We are featuring some fine artists in this folk art festival. This is our traditional showcase time.”

In addition, musical performances will be held both days.

Saturday’s music schedule is as follows: 10–11 a.m., Whistlestop Combo with Chuck King (jazz, blues, swing); 11 a.m. to noon, Verbena High School Band (drum line, horns, pep tunes); 12–1 p.m., Rosetta & the Stones (folk, contemporary Christian, soul); 1–5 p.m., “Open Mic” (inappropriate or profane content will not be allowed).

Sunday’s music schedule is as follows: 1–2 p.m., Rosetta & the Stones (folk, contemporary Christian, soul); 2–3 p.m., Heaven’s Strings (Christian contemporary, contemporary gospel); 3–4 p.m., Will Arledge’s Student Showcase (piano, guitar, horns); and 4–5 p.m., Will Arledge (contemporary Christian, blues, improvisational).

Byrd said the musical performances would be separate from the vendor area this time in order to allow people to sit and listen.

The Arts Council will give door prizes from showcase vendors and local merchants, as well as hold a raffle for a pair of tickets to the Auburn–Georgia football game Nov. 16.

The raffle drawing will be Sunday at 4:30 p.m., and entrants do not have to be present to win.

Old-fashioned barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks will be for sale.

Other parts of the event include pictures with Santa and booths for Boy Scouts of America Troop 185, Girl Scouts Troop 37 and the Chilton County Master Gardeners Association.

Folk Art Festival Showcase T-shirts will be on sale for $20 each.

Grants from the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts helped make the event possible.

Byrd said some artists registered to have booths are repeat vendors, and others are new.

“That’s what we love about what we do,” Byrd said. “We’re giving opportunities to people that need this. In Chilton County, we’re in the middle of communities that all offer artist events.”

Byrd said this weekend’s event would offer people a chance to learn more about the Chilton County Arts Council and get involved if they wanted to.

The group’s new building opened in January and will eventually house a gallery, art classes and a library.

“Right now, it’s hard for our arts council to run without supporters of the arts,” Byrd said. “We’ll need folks to be present in the building to volunteer their time.”

The new location is on Second Avenue North in downtown Clanton.

“We’ve taken the art out into the community and accomplished things already,” Byrd said. “I am so excited about the future and the way the Chilton County Arts Council is proceeding. I never knew it would be this good, this fast, this way.”

For more information, email ChiltonCountyArtsCouncil@hotmail.com, or call (205) 217-3027.

To view samples of art in the Folk Art Festival Showcase, visit ChiltonCountyArtsCouncil.com or the Chilton County Arts Council’s Facebook page.