Use These Tips to Enjoy Alpharetta Arts Streetfest

As Kim Dodson races around Alpharetta handling last-minute details for Alpharetta Arts Streetfest and helping artists arriving to set up for the weekend event, she offers some tips for local residents to enjoy it.

• Don't wait a year to buy some art from that artist you really like. "We don't have all the same artists every year," said Dodson, the city's Special Events manager.

• Come out on Saturday and if you really like something you might want to return on Sunday to buy it. But since many of the artists come from not just out of town, but out of state, the chance of seeing them again could be slim.

• Interactive arts and crafts aren't just for kids, though there are plenty of those. This year, somebody's trash could become your treasured artwork in one of the interactive activities. Some of these activities have a small cost, while others are free.
• Stop by the info booth at the mini park near the corner of North Main Street and Milton Avenue and pick up a map of the Arts Streetfest, which will help you find where the free activites are–and also the food area, stage, rest rooms and specific artists.
• Local restaurants will serve food on site.
• Bring at least some cash, as the restaurants, interactive activities and some of the artists won't necessarily take credit cards.

• "If you are trying to beat the crowd, sometimes Sunday morning is a good time," Dodson said. If that conflicts with your church services, try between 5 and 6 p.m. each day when the crowds thin.