The Kentuck Festival of the Arts is scheduled to be back in person for its 50th anniversary this upcoming Oct. 16-17. Last year, the festival was moved to an online marketplace due to the Coronavirus, but as of now, the festival is excited to welcome guests back to Kentuck Park.

“We are planning for it to be full steam ahead, full festival, but we are prepared to make adjustments as it gets closer,” marketing manager Ashley Williams said.

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To celebrate the Kentuck Festival’s 50th anniversary, the organization is hosting a community art project throughout the year. The project is called “Bring Us Your Bling,” and will be a giant “5-0” comprised entirely of collected gold objects.

“Whether it’s your old soccer trophy or that earring that you can never find the match for, we are going to adhere these things in a mosaic in a giant “50” that will be presented at the festival in October,” Williams said.

The bedazzled 5-0 will be the perfect location for photo-ops before guests enter the festival. Additionally, expect to enjoy live music, speeches and poems, and about 270 artists from all over the country.

Williams explained artists are usually invited to the festival by a Jury. Yet, some artists, known as guest artists, have work that is extremely well known and simply come because of Kentuck’s nationally-beloved notoriety.

“Guest artists are either too famous to go to most festivals, or they just don’t do many festivals anymore, but they come because they love Kentuck,” Williams said.

Some recognizable names include Josh Coté, a sculptor from North Carolina who uses abnormal materials to construct statues, and Ab The Flag Man, who makes American flags out of found objects.

The Kentuck Festival is nationally renowned, typically seeing 10,000 guests per two-day event, according to their website. Taking place in Northport, the festival seems like the perfect place to celebrate being fully vaccinated this fall.

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