After being canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, the Hummelstown Arts Festival will return on Saturday, Sept. 18, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 20th annual event will feature more than 170 juried artists, a food court, children's activities and entertainment.

Main Street will be closed during the day so that participants can set up booths displaying their artwork and handicrafts. Categories of items will include ceramics and pottery, drawing and painting, fiber and wearable items, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, photography, sculpture and wood. Other items will include wreaths, gourds, soap and lotions and candles.

"There is a formal application that the vendors have to fill out online, and they send it to the Hummelstown Arts Fest," explained Carol Hollinger, who is publicity co-chair with Val Martin. "They are required to submit five photos (illustrating) that they made the items themselves. There is a jury that goes through all the applications."

Free crafts and activities for children, entertainment and food will be set up around the town square. Creative caricatures by Ali Thome will be offered from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and balloon art by Balunguy will take place from noon to 3:30 p.m.

There will also be face painting by Lower Dauphin High School National Art Honor Society students, sandy candy, balloon yo-yos and crafts and activities presented by the Hummelstown Recreation Board and Emergency Management Agency. Additionally, local Boy Scouts will have a Lego racetrack, and the Dauphin County Library System will be on hand with its mobile outreach vehicle named MARCO. Music will be provided by DJ Bill Runkle.

"People park in town and walk. It's basically a street fair. It's a lot of fun," Hollinger said.

Proceeds from the festival will go toward the Robert M. Nisley Memorial Scholarships, which are awarded to Lower Dauphin High School seniors who will attend an institute of higher education to major in visual arts or music.

In addition, students in kindergarten through 12th grade in the Lower Dauphin School District will display their winning art at the festival from the school's annual youth art contest. Categories include painting, pastels, graphics, mixed media, sculpture and pottery.

Each year, a local artist is chosen to paint the image for the Hummelstown Arts Festival poster. This year's artist is Barbara James of Hershey. The limited-edition posters will be available for sale at the event. The artist will sign posters at the information booth at a designated time to be announced on the festival's Facebook page. In addition, the artist will be available to sign posters at her booth near the square.

According to Hollinger, the festival began in the early 1980s when two Hummelstown sisters brainstormed how to promote the businesses in Hummelstown. "They formed a committee and decided to have vendors, food and entertainment," she noted. "They chose the second Saturday after Labor Day to hold a festival. These are the same traditions the arts festival follows today."

For more information, email HummArtsFest@comcast.net or visit http://www.facebook.com/HummelstownArtsFestival. Dogs are not permitted at the festival, and people riding skateboards and bicycles will be prohibited.