Mainly clear skies. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Mainly clear skies. Low 53F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.

ROMNEY, W.Va. — Hampshire County will be alive with art Sept. 10 at the fourth annual Hampshire Highlands Arts & Music Festival. Centered around the Taggart Hall gazebo at 91 S. High St. and the Hampshire Co-op, music, artists painting on site, dance and tumbling exhibitions and puppet shows will be offered along with food and giant bubbles and face painting for the children.

Hampshire Highlands’s finest artists will display, demonstrate and sell their original juried work. Other artists are challenged to enter the Plein Air “Quick Draw” Competition. Sign up from 10 a.m. to noon at the festival information booth, then pick a spot and set up. Artists have two hours to complete the paintings. The framed paintings will be set on easels and judged for $250, $150 or $100 in prizes and offered for sale.

Music will showcase the HC Ukulele Band, Honeybee Choir, Madison Wrye and the Centerfire Bluegrass Band. Winners of a Friday night Open Mic Competition at The River House in Capon Bridge will display their talents on the festival stage.

The Davis Bradley duo combines bluegrass, old time and swing influences to cap off the musical entertainment.

Hands-on-activities focus on this year’s environmental theme of water with “Rethink Your Drink,” “Wetlands,” “Water Quality,” “Following the River’s Path” and making mini-greenhouses and water cycle bead bracelets.

The All Hands in Puppeteers’ two shows of “Dew Drops In” will explain the need to conserve water so that enough clean water is available for everyone.

“Water Cycles-Multimedia Installation” by Ben Townsend combines found sound, traditional instrumentation and repertoire with found imagery and collected imagery and silent film via digital modular synthesizers.

Bring a lawn chair to spend the day taking in food and drink, including a wine and beer garden.

Full information is available at HampshireArts.org. The festival is sponsored by Hampshire County Arts Council with support from West Virginia Fairs and Festivals, American Insurance Center, Koolwink Motel, Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad, Romney Federal Credit Union, Lambert Drug Store, Anderson’s Corner, Dorothy Kengla, Dave Martin and Seeds of Grace Acres.

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