The eighth annual Art on the Prairie event is this weekend in Perry, and it promises to be the biggest event yet.

Organizer Jenny Eklund says downtown Perry will play host to around 68 visual artists, 25 musicians, a dozen poets, and even an author. She’s also expecting a huge crowd, as she’s heard from people from all around the country who plan to attend, potentially doubling the City’s population over the two-day event. To compensate for the numbers, Eklund says the amount of locations is at an all-time high, with artists housed in eight different buildings: the Security Bank Building, Hotel Pattee, the Towncraft Building, the public library, the Carnegie Library Museum, Betsy Peterson Designs, the Citizens Bank Gallery, and La Poste. According to Eklund, it’s these buildings that set Art on the Prairie apart from any other art festival.

“What’s really unique about Art on the Prairie that the artists talk about is that we are like the stars in the art world of Iowa. Number one, how we treat our guests, how we treat our artists and musicians; and the buildings that we have to present the artwork in. A lot of times you go to (an) art show, it’s in a park. It may be cold, it may be hot, it may be perfect. Or maybe they’re in morton buildings or some convention hall or something. But we’re proud because we have beautiful art, talented artists, and beautiful buildings.”

Art on the Prairie will run Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Additionally, the Raccoon Valley Radio Big Red Radio will be in attendance for Saturday of the event. We will give reports from the event on air, play music, and relay important information. To learn more about Art on the Prairie, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.