County's first arts festival draws hundreds
May 11—Downtown Lee Street and other parts of Greenville were quite a bit more colorful Friday and Saturday as hundreds of people visited exhibits, performances and other attractions at the first-ever Hunt County Festival of the Arts.
On Saturday in particular, visitors had activities ranging from listening to live music to painting a small piece of a mural (that will be unveiled in the near future) to taking part in a color run.
"I think it's safe to say hundreds of people participated, including a lot of people who came to downtown Greenville for the first time," said Derek Price, who was one of the planners for the festival. "I met a lot of people who were new to the Hunt County area. They wanted to see what we had going on.
"I also think a festival like this attracts a different type of crowd from our typical events," Price added. "There were lots of young, creative people at the festival, both as artists selling their work and people who came to buy art for their homes and meet other creative types."
Another Greenville resident who was surprised to see more new faces at the event was Gail Sprinkle, the owner of Uptown Forum.
"It was great to see a lot of old friends at Uptown Forum, and to introduce our community to a lot of new Greenville residents," Sprinkle said. "There were so many people in Uptown Forum that some of our businesses had to hire extra help."
The festival was also a tribute to the late Dennis Strickland, a tireless advocate of the arts scene who sadly passed away in November 2020.
