Annual Arts, Crafts Festival Has New Attractions

SEBRING -- It's the time of the year.

The 41st annual Fine Arts and Crafts Festival hits downtown Sebring on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The free event features artists from around the country displaying glasswork, watercolor, oil, wood sculpture, jewelry, photography, pottery, woodworks, metal sculpture, mixed media and more. Highlands Art League is sponsoring the daylong event.

The streets that radiate off of Circle Park will each have their own theme artwork and names, such as Crafts Street, Cultural Street, Children's Street, Community Street and Culinary Street.

In addition to the traditional art show that opens at 9 a.m., the art league has partnered with the Sebring Chamber of Commerce to host the evening events beginning at 4 and running until 9. Activities will culminate into the Heartland Idol finale at 7 p.m.

While the primary focus of this year's festival is from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., the whole family will enjoy the activities taking place after the festival, too.

Kids of all ages will enjoy competing in -- or just watching -- the inaugural "Oreo-Cookie eating contest," starting at 4 p.m. on the downtown Circle.

Six contestants from each of the three different age divisions - Children 10 and younger, Children 11-17, and adults 18 and over will eat as many cookies as they can in three minutes. The winner from each division will receive a gift card (and their leftover Oreos).

The Oreo-eating contest will be followed by the second annual apple pie eating contest.

Twelve contestants - six children (ages 17 and younger) - and six adults (ages 18 and over) will try to eat as much apple pie as they can in five minutes. The winners of this contest will also receive a gift card.

There is no entry fee for either the Oreo-cookie or apple pie contest, but entries are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. Interested kids and adults are encouraged to register with Don Elwell, the day's master of ceremonies, on the Circle, any time after noon on Saturday. For more information, call the Sebring Chamber of Commerce at 385-8448.

For more information concerning the festival, contact festival director Martile Blackman at 863-381-3436 or or visit the Web site at www.highlandsartleague.com.