BEACON FILE PHOTO  

By Rick Tonyan
SPECIAL TO THE BEACON

posted Mar 21, 2010 - 9:42:24am

For 45 years, the last weekend in March has meant arts, crafts, music, food and good times in DeLand.

It'll be that way again when the 45 annual DeLand Outdoor Art Festival welcomes the public to Earl Brown Park, 750 S. Alabama Ave., on March 27 and 28.

Dozens of artists will be displaying their works and competing for thousands of dollars in cash prizes in what is called the art category. That means judges, brought to the festival by the event's planning committee, will rate the displayed artwork and pick the winners.

Meanwhile, crafts ranging from fine jewelry to carved wood toys will also be offered for sale.

A slowly improving national, state and local economy makes festival planners optimistic about the number of exhibitors who will be displaying their works. Last year, about 125 artists and crafters registered.

This year, the committee already has about that number registered, and more are signing up each day, according to Anna Pascoe, a committee member in charge of registrations.

"I'm getting them in all the time," she said.

Pascoe has helped shepherd the festival through a lot of economic swings since she became a member of the committee in 1969. That was four years after the festival was first organized by Joe Elliott and Virginia Clausen. At that time, the event was held on the sidewalks of Downtown DeLand.

This year, for the first time, the art festival is partnering with the Florida Wildflower and Garden Festival on Saturday, March 27, in Downtown DeLand. A shuttle bus will run between Downtown and the park for those wanting to attend both events between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Since the wildflower festival is a one-day event, the art festival becomes the only show in town on Sunday. That day, the festival will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Country, folk, bluegrass, blues and other musical performances will be going on throughout most of the festival. Entertainers will be on stage between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Food ranging from Greek salads to popcorn will be sold throughout both days.

Other concessions include a new feature, the Spruce Creek Mining Co., a portable sluice at which customers buy a bag of dirt and then pan through it for raw gemstones.

Festival goers also may enter the spectator drawings, held hourly each day 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Winners of the drawings receive certificates for $100 of goods to be bought at the festival.

Meanwhile, The West Volusia Beacon will continue its tradition of sponsoring the Youth Division of the festival. The division features artwork from students throughout West Volusia.

Other sponsors of the festival include: DeLand Toyota Scion, Riverside Bank of DeLand, Lake Mary Preparatory School, The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Humana Healthcare, H&R Unlimited, DeLand Parks and Recreation, the City of DeLand, and the Junior League of Daytona Beach.

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