TROYFEST COMING SOON

The city of Troy will hold its annual TroyFest Art and Craft Festival on Apr. 25 and 26 downtown on the square.  

According to the festival’s official website, TroyFest is held in honor of Jean Lake and is the premier fine art and craft festival for the central Alabama region. The weekend long show draws upwards of 10,000 people to downtown Troy to celebrate the arts. 

TroyFest will feature local artists and merchants selling their work, restaurants selling delicious treats and fun activities and entertainment for all ages.  

“I try my best to participate in or visit TroyFest every year in order to support and connect with the local craftsmen and businesses from my area or across the country,” said Icie Wallace, a senior graphic design major from Sylacauga, Alabama. “This year, I am participating as a member of Student-Made, a collective of student-run small businesses that will share one booth as an extension of our retail store and pop-up activities.” 

Wallace will be selling her latest collection of handmade ceramics at the Student-Made booth alongside other Troy students.  

“TroyFest is so important to this area,” said Michelle McLendon, a local artisan bookbinder and alumna of Troy University.  

McLendon said she grew up in Slocomb, Alabama, but remembers traveling to Troy when she was younger to visit the Jean Lake Festival.  

“[The Jean Lake Festival] was the only art show I had ever heard of because there are few and far between in this corner of Alabama,” McClendon said.  

TroyFest originally began as a way to honor Jean Thompson Lake, a traveling artist who was born in Troy in 1929, and to showcase other local artists in her memory. It was renamed TroyFest in 2003, and the festival has grown every year since.  

“Troy students should definitely attend TroyFest, a perfect opportunity for students to browse for free with their friends, get a henna tattoo and potentially bring something home for themselves, all while supporting the local municipalities at Downtown Troy and small businesses,” Wallace said.  

TroyFest is completely free and open to the public. It will take place at Troy’s downtown square on Saturday, Apr. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Apr. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, thoseinterested can visit troyfestarts.com.