Lafayette's Round the Fountain Art Fair returns to downtown Saturday

LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Lovers of both art and downtown Lafayette have at least 75 reasons to take a stroll around the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, as the Round the Fountain Art Fair fills the streets.

In its 49th year, the Round the Fountain Art Fair promises to bring some 75 juried exhibitors, having been selected by professional art jurors to present their creations and vie for enviable prize money. On Saturday, judges will visit the booths and declare Best of Show, as well as other prizes.

"We've discovered we have one of the largest totals of prize money to be distributed," said committee member Ruthie Shook, who has been involved in Round the Fountain Art Fair for 48 of the 49 years. "We've learned that's why so many of the artists put this on their fair schedule."

The fair, free to the public, runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and will be positioned in the shut-down streets of Fourth, Main and Third.

"We used to be directly on all four sidewalks of the courthouse," Shook said. "Early on, everyone wanted to be on the grass, but not as many now because it's harder to set up. Being on the hard, flat surface of a street is really easy for the artists.

"As a result we limited our numbers, and I think it works out fine. Our priority is getting quality artists, not just filling space."

The artists will showcase a variety of mediums, including oil, watercolor, pastels, ceramics, glass, photography, jewelry, graphics and sculpture.

There's no right or wrong time to come, although the morning crowds benefit from another popular summer Saturday event, the Farmers Market –— 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., on Fifth Street from Columbia to Ferry streets.

Started by a group of downtown Lafayette businessmen who wanted something to bring folks to their shops, the Round the Fountain has grown and adapted through its near half-century existence, adding loyal artists and a growing number of volunteers.

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Scheduling the fair each year on Memorial Day weekend, when a certain race in Indianapolis also takes place, doesn't limit the crowds, Shook said.

"When I came on the committee the second year of its existence," Shook said, "we were asking, when do we want to have this fair? Do we want to compete with the Indy 500? Granted, we lose some people in terms because of the race, but it's not necessarily the case because they can do both. A fun weekend all around."