TroyFest: annual art celebration coming soon

The city of Troy will engage in its annual celebration of arts this upcoming weekend.

TroyFest will be held on the square in downtown Troy on April 23 and 24. The festival celebrates local arts and is presented by the city of Troy, Pike County Chamber of Commerce and Troy Arts Council.

The arts and crafts festival has been held on the square for the past 14 years. It was initially called the Jean Lake Art Festival and was held at the Pioneer Museum.

Jean Lake Thompson was an artist born in Troy in 1929 who was famous for her work throughout the Southeast.

After Thompson’s death in 1976, her friends presented the idea of a two-day art show to display the area’s best artists to the Troy Council on the Arts and Humanities. The Jean Lake Memorial Art Show was first held in 1982.

The festival was moved from the Pike Pioneer Museum to the square in downtown Troy in 2003. The festival was also renamed TroyFest and became free to patrons for the first time, due to more vendors participating.

In 2006, TroyFest was recognized as an official Year of Alabama Art event and has since been mentioned in the Top 10 events by Alabama’s tourism department.

This year, over 80 artists will be displayed at the festival. Media include pottery, paintings, photography, woodwork, stained glass and decorative glass.

Several different acts will perform on stage throughout the weekend. A kids’ corner will be available with free activities for children, as well as a food vendors’ section, a farmers’ market and a community tent with nonprofit organizations set up.

“Each year TroyFest brings together our community to celebrate the arts,” said TroyFest publicity chair Morgan Drinkard. “Festival attendees enjoy acquiring new pieces of art and making new friends with our regional and local artists.”

For more festival information and information on how to participate in TroyFest, visit http://www.troyfestarts.com.