Fine artists, crafters and bakers/sugar artists are welcome to register for the 51st Nescatunga Arts Festival in Alva, set for Saturday, Nov. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Woods County Fairgrounds.

New to the event this year is the Nescatunga Sugar Show that is open to anyone who loves to bake and decorate cakes, cookies or cupcakes.

Plans are to house fine artists and crafters inside the Merchants Building along with various forms of entertainment. The inaugural Sugar Show will take place in the Women’s Building. Should the committee need to use the Women’s Building for artists and crafters, the Sugar Show will move to the Northwest Technology Center.

Festival committee members have established Oct. 22 as the early registration deadline. Fees in all areas will double after that date.

The registration form is available at http://www.nescatunga.org, may be picked up at the Alva Chamber of Commerce office at 502 Oklahoma Blvd., or it can be emailed.

Fine arts categories for the Festival include book authors, oil/acrylic, watercolor, pastels, mixed media, graphics/pen and ink/pencil, printing making, photography, pottery, sculpture-wood, sculpture-metal, sculpture-mineral, fiber arts like quilting/weaving/basketry, and designer arts and jewelry.

Craft categories include wood toys/furniture, ceramics/glass, clothing, soft toys, decorative items, jewelry, craft food, repurposed items, home goods/accessories, and other items.

Fine artists are eligible for only one award of cash and ribbons in each category. The awards will include a Best of Show prize for $200; first place $150; second place $100; and third place $75. The festival judge may award any place to an entry based on merit, and if, in the opinion of the judge, none of the entries in a category meet the standards of excellence, no award will be given.

High school and college student artwork will be judged for a possible first place and $25 prize. No registration fee is charged to students.

All work must be that of the exhibitor, and artists must be in attendance for work to be judged.

Artists and crafters must provide their own display setup, tables, chairs, etc .; however, Nescatunga will offer on a limited basis to those who may need them pegboard panels, tables, and new “pop-up displays” built by committee members, all for a small fee.

Those bakers interested in entering the Sugar Show should prepare decorated cakes of at least two layers and should provide at least one dozen cupcakes and/or cookies for those categories. All items will be judged on overall appearance, number of techniques used, precision, originality of design and level of difficulty.

There will be three divisions: Professional Sugar Show Artist, Aspiring Sugar Show Artist and Student, which is open to any middle school, high school or college-aged student.

There will be one first place prize of $50 in each category, plus a People’s Choice award based on appearance. The entry fee for this contest is $10 per item in each category or free to students. A first place prize of $10 will be given in the student-entry categories. Entry fees double after Oct. 22 in this contest as well.

Food booths run by local student groups, various types of entertainment and other fun attractions also will be available.

The Nescatunga Arts Festival committee meets at 7 p.m. at the Runnymede (across from the Alva police/fire station) in downtown Alva on the second Monday of each month. New members are welcome to attend to help plan the festival. Membership dues are $25. Anyone interested in supporting the arts may send their dues to the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, P.O. Box 152, Alva, OK 73717. Please include phone number and email address.

For additional information on the festival, or for pricing to rent a booth space, contact the Alva Chamber of Commerce at 580-327-1647 or [email protected] or visit the festival’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/nescatungaarts. For information about the Sugar Show, contact April Ridgway at 580-917-0101 or [email protected].

The Nescatunga Arts Festival is sponsored by the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, Inc., in cooperation with the Alva Chamber of Commerce and the City of Alva Tourism Committee.