Organizers play it safe at 46th annual Mount Dora Arts Festival
MOUNT DORA, Fla. - Art was in the air in downtown Mount Dora on Sunday, which was on the second and final day of the Mount Dora Arts Festival.
"I love to see other people's talent," said visitor Kay Noble. "There's so much out there!"
Visitors from around Florida and artists from around the country were there for the festival's 46th season. It was a very different one from years past. The COVID-19 pandemic hitting the area just after last year's festival.
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"The event is obviously pared-down much smaller than last year," said Mount Dora Center for the Arts marketing director Kay Volmar. "Last year, we had closer to 300 artists. The footprint of the festival is obviously a lot smaller than it was last year. We're using half basically the landscape that we used last year."
People were encouraged to wear their masks as they strolled down the streets. They also set the artists farther apart. These artists said it was appreciated.
"I'm extra cautious," said artist Tai Taeoalii. "I can't afford to get sick. But I like the way they've done it here at the show. I would implore the other shows to take a look at how you can actually pull it off."
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Taeoalii said it had been a tough year when it came to selling his work, but sales this weekend had been good, telling FOX 35 that "if it was a regular year, I'd say I did about the same amount of sales I would do in a regular year, so I was really happy with yesterday."
The Mount Dora Arts Center also used the event to collect donations to fund their programs throughout the year.
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