26th Annual Roaring Twenties Festival

Artisans and crafts people as well as thousands of people interested in admiring and buying their wares flock each year to downtown Sebring's Circle Park for the Roaring Twenties Arts And Crafts Festival, now in its 26th year.

This year's festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 14.

Crowd estimates at past shows have been put at 10,000 to 15,000 people over the course of the day.

To accommodate the traffic that needs to be detoured around the downtown, Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Pete Pollard is scheduled to address the Sebring City Council today.

"The Circle will be closed to traffic from 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, and will reopen at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14," said Robin Hinote, executive CRA assistant.

The festival will be followed by the Saturday Cruise (also known as the Classic Car Show) - at about 6 p.m.

"The Roaring Twenties Arts And Crafts Festival is put on by the Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency," said Hinote. "Historically we have had more than 100 arts and crafts as well as food vendors.

"This year our vendor numbers are down but generally two weeks before the show we get a lot of last minute applicants."

She said the numbers were down last year because of economic reasons.

"Last year, their averages were so bad, that it forced vendors to only book shows that were close to home or that were within their financial means," she said. 'They couldn't afford a hotel room and book a one-day show. And gas - last year gas was $4 a gallon; that hurt everybody."

She said the vendors said they loved the Roaring Twenties Festival because its fees have not increased when most other shows had.

"All the vendors I spoke to stated that if this year was better financially they would return to us next year and they all complimented how easy our traffic flow is and how accommodating our event staff is on the day of the show."

The event goes off rain or shine, Hinote said.

"It's usually turns out to be a nice day," she said. "I think there have been two days it's rained."

This year, Hinote said, she has eight food vendors and is looking for two more.

"I have a lady who wants to do seafood, but I haven't gotten her application yet," Hinote said. "I won't book more than 10 food vendors."

So far she's got kettle korn; funnel cake; a vendor with hamburgers, shrimp and chicken bites, another with Italian ices; a hot dog vendor; Greek food; and cotton candy.

Pollard will request road closures in The Circle and some surrounding streets, as well as use of a police department's parking lot for vendors as overnight parking.

Northbound traffic on State Road 17 will be diverted onto South Franklin Street to Pomegranate Avenue to North Pine Street and back onto North Ridgewood Drive. Southbound traffic on S.R. 17 would be diverted from North Ridgewood Drive onto North Pine Street, onto Pomegranate Avenue to Lakeview Drive and back out to S.R. 17, near the Palms of Sebring.

South Ridgewood Drive would be closed from Magnolia Avenue to The Circle. North Ridgewood Drive would be closed from North Pine Street to The Circle.

Other spoke streets such as North Commerce Avenue, South Commerce Avenue, West Center Avenue and East Center Avenue would be closed from Wall Street to The Circle.

Anyone interested in renting a space at the festival should contact Hinote at the Sebring Community Redevelopment Agency at 471-5104.