Coupeville is gearing up for a weekend of fun and creativity with the annual Coupeville Arts and Crafts Festival.

The event is 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 in downtown Coupeville.

A kickoff event will be held 7-10 p.m. Friday with a juried art gallery opening and wine reception at Coupeville Rec Hall.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

Artists from all different mediums will enter.

Entries will be on display throughout the weekend for those who cannot attend Friday.

The arts festival itself is a family affair, offering a wide variety of activities and interests for the entire family.

There will be a variety of food options including Thai, American, Greek and more.

Sweet treats such as hand-made mini donuts, ice cream and sno-balls will also be available.

The Coupeville Chamber of Commerce will offer a wine and beer garden as a fundraising event.

Food concessions will be located between the main parking area and artisan booths.

Entertainment and children’s activities are also in this area.

Childrens activities will be offered 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Activities will include t-shirt painting, face painting and other creative crafts.

Live music will run throughout the weekend. Keeping with the integrity of the “hand-crafted only” festival, only bands who write and play their own music are accepted.

While there will be much opportunity to purchase art from vendors, there is also an opportunity to learn.

Artists throughout the festival will offer demonstrations and give visitors a chance to ask questions and interact as they work.

Demonstrations will be held 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Some of the featured demonstrations will include colored pencil art, wire art, native wood carvings, basket weaving and water colors.

The Coupeville Festival was started in 1964 by business owners and citizens. The goal was to showcase the Coupeville community, its arts and to bring visitors to the area.

It became a means to revitalize the town, said festival president Mike Dessert.

Activities have changed over the years, the first year a large batch of sassafrass was offered, Dessert said. It didn’t return in following years.

Proceeds from the festival go back into the community in the form of grants for various projects and programs.

To date, more than $500,000 has been given back to the community, according to event organizers.

Past grants given to the community include: seed money to start the Coupeville Arts Center, purchase of the Coupeville Library property, participatory grant for the public access stairway on Front St., Coupeville Garden Club’s flower barrels lining Main Street, freezer and vehicle for Gifts from the Heart Food Bank, Penn Cove Water Festival, National History Day Student projects, Arts & Antiques Walk publicity, Coupeville Historic Waterfront Association, Admiralty Head Lighthouse restorative projects, Boys and Girls Club art projects, numerous school projects, Whidbey General Hospital Foundation and Coupeville Farmers Market.

n For more information go to www.coupevillefestival.com