Art, Food, Fun and the World's Largest Yardsale in Marion, VA

The 3rd weekend in July is fast approaching and that means the Marion Art League is taking care of final preparations for the 36^th Annual Hungry Mother Arts and Crafts Festival. This year the festivities will be held July 17th-19th.

Marion's Downtown Days Summer Festival runs over the same days and a complementary shuttle will carry festival goers between downtown Marion and Hungry Mother State Park which is about 4 miles away on U.S. Highway 16.

The downtown festivities are centered around Main Street and begin on Friday night at 6:00 PM with the Chili Championship and Show 'n' Shine Car Show. Friday night will also present a great performance by "Phantom" beginning at 7:00 PM and carrying on until around midnight.

On Saturday downtown Marion will be full of great deals during the day and a musically good time in the evening. You won't want to miss the "World's Biggest Yard Sale" which is held on Church Street, sidewalk sales all through town and the Marion Farmers Market. These events are scheduled starting bright and early at 7:00 AM on Saturday. The concert and downtown street dance will go on until 11:00 PM for those who want to party on after dark.

Marion Downtown Days and the Hungry Mother Festival are wonderful events for the entire family. There will be a variety of food vendors and local restaurants will have special menus just for festival weekend. Another wonderful opportunity is the children's' theatre presented by the Missoula Children's Theatre Troupe. Their performances will be held in the iconic Lincoln Theater which is one of the very few remaining art deco theaters in the United States.

Four miles from Marion in the natural beauty of Hungry Mother State Park the annual Hungry Mother Arts and Crafts show will run 8:00 AM- 10:00 PM. Normal park amenities will be open in addition to the annual Art show which features some of the finest craftsmen, artisans and fine artists anywhere.

This year the Hungry Mother Arts and Crafts Festival is being sponsored by Charter Media local radio stations Rock 102.5, Z103.5, WMEV Radio FM 94 as well as the Bank of Marion, Food City and others.

Parking at Hungry Mother State Park will be $6 a day or $9 for the weekend. The downtown festival is free of charge and offers free parking which is a great encouragement to start at Downtown Days in historic Marion and take the free shuttle to Hungry Mother State Park for the Art League's Show.

For more information check out the Marion, Virginia web site or call Office: (276) 783-4190.