Arts in the Park makes Top 20 list in Southeast

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
March 16, 2002
Organizers of this year's Arts in the Park say it will be bigger and better than ever with several new attractions.
This year's poster design was unveiled Friday at a press conference at the Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau. The 31st annual event is scheduled for April 5-7 at Highland Park.
The festival is featured this year as one of the top 20 events in the Southeastern United States by the Southeast Tourism Council, based on its longevity and ability to attract out-of-town visitors.
Artists in the Southeast flock to Arts in the Park to participate in a juried art exhibit and competition; artwork exhibited during the weekend will be for sale. Other arts and crafts vendors will set up throughout the park, 14 food vendors have reserved booths and numerous activities are planned for children and adults.
The first weekend in April isn't the only "fun" part of the Meridian tradition of Arts in the Park, according to Betty Lou Jones, chairman of this year's event.
Sandy Bynum, director of the Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau, said 24 percent of visitors to Meridian come because of festivals.
Mayor John Robert Smith said Meridian is a center for arts in the region, citing downtown art galleries, the Around Town Carousels Abound project, the Riley Education and Performing Arts Center and Bonita Lakes's selection as the future site of the Southern Art and Entertainment Center.
Smith said the first meeting of a statewide committee formed to work on the Southern Art and Entertainment Center will take place in Meridian on April 5, the opening day of Art in the Park.