ELLEN AXSON WILSON ARTSFEST ’21 SET FOR THIS SATURDAY

The annual Ellen Axson Wilson ArtsFest will return to downtown Rome this Saturday from 10 am until 4 pm. It will be presented by Rome’s Downtown Development Authority and the Rome Area Council for the Arts.

Alli Booker, RACA’s Executive Director, enthuses that the event will provide an opportunity for artists, musicians, and food vendors to celebrate Spring, as well as the arts.

Last year’s ArtsFest was cancelled due to coronavirus concerns; it was rained out back in 2019.

All sorts of media will be represented at the 2021 ArtsFest, like various types of music, photography, painting, pottery, and more, asserts Booker.

The DDA is pairing each artist up with a downtown business for the festival, adds Booker.

The Ellen Axson Wilson ArtsFest is free to the public, thanks to the financial support of the downtown Business Improvement District (BID), whose goal is to improve the downtown experience for businesses and consumers, states Megan Otwell, PR Director for the Rome DDA.

Parking will be free in the 4th and 3rd Avenue parking decks. The streets will remain open to vehicle traffic, adds Otwell.

The ArtsFest named for former First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, first wife of the 28th U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. She was raised in Rome and is now buried at Myrtle Hill Cemetary.