The Cotton District will be masked in glitter, paint, crafts, the savory aroma of various foods and the melodious rhythm of music as the festival of the year will dominate the popular avenue Saturday.
The annual Cotton District Arts Festival is anticipated to be vaster and better than ever this year. Laurie Burton, a Cotton District Arts Festival co-chair, said she is very enthusiastic about the expansion of vendors and development of subdivisions of the festival.
“We have added more food vendors, and this year we have 20 local restaurants and vendors. We have also added more artisan vendors with 130 signed up,” Burton said. “In addition, we have added an author’s area to our Writer’s Village and will have four book authors on hand to sign and sell books.”
Burton expressed she felt that as the festival grows, Starkville citizens and Mississippi State University students should embrace the medley of arts that the Starkville Area Arts Council has contrived for the city. She said the impact art has on a society does not need to be neglected because art has a way of unconsciously unifying the community.
“The festival is important to the citizens of Starkville because it brings focus to the arts, which are very important to creating a diverse and rich culture,” she said. “The festival showcases all the arts– visual, literary, musical, culinary, performance, and makes them accessible to all people. In addition, it engages people of all ages and encourages artistic participation, thereby fostering the arts within the community.”
Burton said the arts festival is not only crucial for the customers, but for the vendors as well, who rely solely on the participation of patrons to benefit from their booths.
“This is an opportunity for the artisan vendors to not only make sales, but to make contacts and promote them,” she said. “This is one of the best festivals in the state, and many of our vendors become well known for their art with many returning customers year after year.”
According to the official festival website, the Cotton District Arts Festival has been awarded a top-100 event in North America by the American Bus Association, it is a top-20 event in the Southeast and it has been ranked in the top five festivals in Mississippi for the past two years.
Lewis Herrington of JC Graphics, a sponsor of the festival, is an avid believer in promoting the arts.
“We feel like we are a part of this community and want to give back to some of our great local events,” Herrington said. “Mississippi is a creative place. Our business is based hugely on art. Our graphic designers were art majors, and fostering that creative spirit is important to us.”
The Cotton District Arts Festival will kick off at 7 a.m. Saturday with the Old Cotton Mill 5K Race registration. An invasion of vibrant booths overflowing with mouthwatering food, illustrious crafts and unforgettable fun will occupy the streets of the Cotton District until 5 p.m.
