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It's a renaissance for Inverness' art festival
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer
After taking a hiatus and finding a new location, the Citrus County Art League is back in the art festival business, hosting the 31st Inverness Festival of the Arts on Saturday and Sunday at Withlacoochee Technical Institute. The festival was held on the lawn of the Courthouse Square in downtown Inverness for 30 years, but organizers from the art league called an end to the yearly event after the November 2000 show. The reasons given included staff burnout and conflicts with downtown business owners. By moving the festival to the grounds of the technical school, the conflicts have been eliminated. Also, the art league staffers have had two years off and are willing to put the festival on once again. Besides the new location, the only other major change is a $1 admission fee. The fee will help the art league cover the cost of the festival and raise money for scholarships. Other large festivals such as the Homosassa Arts, Crafts and Seafood Festival and the Strawberry Festival have charged admission fees for years. Parking is free and will be in the grass off South Boulevard on the west side of the school. The parking lot in front of the school, along State Road 44, is the handicapped parking lot. The parking lot on the school's east side is off-limits to the public and reserved for the artists and vendors participating in the festival. This year's festival has about 120 fine arts artists and crafters, along with food vendors, and there will be live music from noon to 2:30 p.m. both days. Festival hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. -- Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or sanchez@sptimes.com .
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Citrus Times Jan Glidewell |
