The Lincoln Highway Arts Festival will be returning Saturday, Sept. 21 in uptown Mount Vernon.

“There is something for everyone at the Lincoln Highway Arts Festival and we are looking forward to a fun-filled day to spend surrounded by arts and community,” said Tiffany Carr, director of Mount Vernon Area Arts Council.

One new addition to the festival this year is the appearance of giant puppets from the Uplifting Puppet Company.

“PuppeteerBrant Bollman will be bringing multiple large pup- pets to life and roaming the festival throughout the day,” Carr said. “We are excited to add this new element of artistic engagement with the community.”

Carr said the festival will feature more than 30 artists and arti- sans who will be selling their works along First Street in uptown Mount Vernon from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

They are also bringing three food trucks to the area— La Can- tina and Americana Concessions — as well as returning favorite Floats.

The festival will also once again feature potters wheel demonstrations from the Iowa Ceramics Center, free face painting for kids and a variety of children’s crafts that will be rotating every two hours.

“We’re featuring the Cole Public Library at the children’s activity center for the beginning of the festival, with a fun butterfly craft,” Carr said. “MVAAC’s Artist-in-Residence Sarah Fitzgerald and Sue Deibner will lead a multi-media craft, and the day will con- clude with a kid craft-favorite, the making of fairy wands with Kim Wolfe.”

Mount Vernon’s poet laureate Amelia Kibbie will also present an opening poem and offer poetry on demand later.

Dance Arts Iowa students will perform as well as part of the festival.

Live music will include performances by The Laid Back Band, Low and Away and Asking for a Friend.

Street closures

No overnight parking will be allowed on First Street the night of Friday, Sept. 20. No parking signs will be placed in uptown that afternoon.

Barricades along First Street will be put up early Saturday, Sept. 21. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to roughly 4 p.m., with artists and vendors to set up on both sides of First Street East to the First Street Community Center. Access points will be available for artists and vendors with A Avenue, but the street will be closed to through traffic during the festival.

Barricades for the city streets will be taken down Saturday evening.