Presented by the Mentone Area Arts Council, JulyFest Art and Music Festival made its debut in 2012 attracting thousands to the mountaintop town for a weekend of free family fun. Atop Lookout Mountain in Mentone, the third annual event is set for July 19-20, offering two days of fine arts and crafts, music by notable Alabama bands plus a pet parade, silent auction, dog adoption and more.
On Saturday, July 19, the two-day event opens at 9 a.m. with the juried arts and crafts show featuring the works of about 50 artists and craftspeople who specialize in oil paintings, pastels, watercolors, photography, sculptures, wood art, rustic furniture, pottery, basketry and jewelry.
The juried show will be held both days under the trees in Mason Park in the center of Mentone where visitors can enjoy a leisurely stroll as they shop for one-of-a-kind art.
Registration for the pet parade starts at 9:30 a.m. at Mason Park with the parade taking to the streets at 10 a.m. Following an awards presentation, there will be an animal act and new for this year is a photo center where pets can pose for a portrait. Festivalgoers can also take part in the silent auction, a plant sale and dog adoption to benefit the Humane Society and Animal Resources of DeKalb County.
Live entertainment is slated for all day Saturday and includes performances by saxophonist Bill Henson at 11 a.m., Curtis Strange at 1 p.m., and Lisa Crow at 3 p.m. At 5 p.m., Old Tymer’s Barbecue of Fort Payne will fill plates with their barbeque on the grounds of the Mentone Inn as festivalgoers enjoy more music by Terry Hutchinson. Cost is $10 per plate. Festivalgoers are invited to stick around for a free concert by Mentone’s own Jess Goggans and the Magnetics. The concert, slated for 7:30 p.m. in the Mentone Inn Pavilion, is also a CD release event for the local group.
Art and music will continue on Sunday, July 20, with Mentone’s Larry Joe Hall slated to perform from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Mason Park gazebo. Categorized as folk, rock and country, Larry’s style is punctuated with strong clear vocals and precise guitar playing. The Silent Auction, Pet Photo Center and dog adoption continue as well.
Hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (CST) on Saturday, July 19 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CST) on Sunday, July 20. Festivalgoers are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and picnic blankets. In the event of inclement weather, the festival will be held the following weekend, July 26-27.
JulyFest Art and Music Festival is made possible through a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts along with Title Sponsor The Mentone Inn.
For more information, contact Festival Chair Cynthia Stinson at mentoneinn@gmail.com. Questions from exhibitors should be directed to Beverly Bates at bjbates@bellsouth.net or 205-520-1556.