Ranked in the “2012 Top Ten Fairs and Festivals,” the Kentuck Festival of the Arts will return this year with 265 booths and over 400 artists. The festival, in its 41st year, will take place Oct. 20 and 21 and feature artists ranging from folk to contemporary.

The festival originally began as a celebration for Northport, Ala. in 1971 and was so popular that it eventually grew over four decades to become the Kentuck Festival of the Arts.

“Every year, Kentuck is a mix of favorites,” Jan Pruitt, executive director of Kentuck, said. “It’s going to be more of the same great stuff we always have, with a few new great features put in.”

This year, the festival will feature an acoustic stage for musicians not only to perform their music, but to also teach the audience how to write and compose their own songs. Other interactive demonstrations include basket making, woodworking, blacksmith demonstrations, jewelry making, as well as free hands-on art making for children.

“Visitors return every year because Kentuck is strictly an arts festival, one that ensures quality through a jury process to determine the artist that will be featured in the festival,” Pruitt said.

Sarah Earnest, a senior majoring in graphic design, has attended every year since she was young.

“It’s always been a thing my mom and I have done together since I was little and is something we share,” Earnest said. “ I look forward to it every year and get really excited about it because it sets the tone of the season. The atmosphere is always as great as the art.”

Last year’s festival hosted over 15,000 people who came from all throughout the country to be a part of the celebration.

“This year, we have 25 percent more people applying to be a part of the festival. I would love to have them all participate, but space is always an issue,” Pruitt said. “The festival is big enough to be absolutely dazzling, but not too big as to where visitors aren’t able to enjoy all of the art within two days. It’s perfect the way it’s structured.”

Pruitt said that without the help of the volunteers, the festival would never be possible. “The teamwork that happens here is the reason that we are able to have so many years of the festival. They are the ones who make it all come together. It’s really sort of magical.”

Pruitt said she loves the aura of the festival with the music, food and artwork.

“You may not love everything you see, but you’ll definitely see something you love,” Pruitt said.

The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 20 and 21. Tickets for the festival are $10 per person and can be purchased online at www.kentuck.org.