Paradise City Arts Festival this weekend

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Northampton's 18th annual Paradise City Arts Festival opens Saturday.

The Three County Fairgrounds have become a good fit for the hundreds of crafters who come from all over the county to display and sell their artwork.

“When we first started it was a total leap of faith, it really was. We looked at the fairgrounds, we wanted to do it here because it was the perfect location. This is a pretty rustic fairgrounds, how do we turn it into an elegant space?” said Linda Post from the Paradise City Arts Festival.

Almost 300 artisans and crafters will show their work, some for the first time. Others have become perennials.

“This is one of the top three shows in the country. I've been exhibiting here for ten years and it's one of the better shows I do,” said glass blower Phillip Jacobs.

Organizers expect at least fifteen thousand visitors. Some from as far away as California. The hotels are booked with out of towners, and the restaurants expect to feed a lot of art lovers.

“We will do very well during the festival. I actually put extra staff on,” said Dan Webster, the owner of Webster's Fish Hook Restaurant.

People who come to the arts festival spend a little or allot depending on what catches their eye.

The browsing and the buying begins at 10 o'clock Saturday morning and runs right through Columbus Day Monday.