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The 53rd Annual Calico Fort Arts and Crafts Fair returns to Fort Deposit April 12 – 13. And, as usual, the event — packed with food, shopping, crafts and fun — features everything imaginable with offerings sure to please visitors from near and far, something for all ages.

Slated for the weekend just before Easter, this year’s festival boasts a visit from the Easter Bunny, who will be on hand to have his picture taken with guests.

A few amenities for the younger crowd include free face painting courtesy of Randy’s Collision Center. Larger-than-life board games, like checkers and Connect 4 accompany numerous spots to take “selfies” around the festival grounds.

“The butterfly picture… we offer photo opportunities throughout the park,” said children’s activities coordinator Hanna Thrower. “If you take a picture in one of our ‘selfie stations’ and post it to your social media during the day on Saturday, you can show that to someone in the hospitality hut and receive a free ticket to come back to the show on Sunday!”

Something new for the youngsters is a sand-art activity. And, just like the children’s area’s other attractions, which include a return favorite — the petting zoo, sponsored by Mid State Stockyards and McLane-Garrett Cattle Company — the activity is free with the price of admission to the festival.

Local organizations will offer a variety of food options, all the old favorites — and a few new treats.

“We’ve got someone who’s bringing ice cream back, something that people enjoy having, especially if it’s a hot day,” said long-time coordinator Frieda Cross. “We keep our food booths available to our community.”

Lowndes Middle School offers hamburgers while Fort Deposit Elementary provides popcorn and lemonade. Bethel Baptist Church will have roasted corn on the cobb and the Fort Deposit Fire Department, a local favorite, will have their own special recipe barbecue sandwiches and plates.

Local high school students volunteer at the festival each year, Thrower said.

“We owe a  huge shoutout to Greenville High School Key Club and The Calhoun School Athletics,” Thrower said. “They have many teenage volunteers coming in to help me with crafts, facepainting, and much more.”

More than 100 exhibitors will be onsite, selling their hand-crafted wares. From metal and carved wood decor, to sweet and savory treats, exhibitors from across Alabama and surrounding states return to join a few new faces offering everything a shopper can imagine.

“The festival was [first planned] to bring people into town,” Cross said. “When we first planned this, several of us told our husbands that we were going to create something that would bring 5,000 people into Fort Deposit. They laughed at us, but we did it.”