A young girl cleans her paint brush during the Edom Festival of the Arts. More than 75 artists are expected to be featured at this year's Edom Festival of the Arts Oct. 17-18, Chairman Mary Wilhite said.

"That's the most we've ever had, and 20 of them are new. I am really excited about that. Our music lineup also looks really good this year."

Artists from Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas have entered the two-day event, and seven main acts are scheduled to perform both days.

"Every year, the attendance has gone up," Wilhite said. "Last year, we had 8,000 people. The festival introduces a lot of people to our community. People come from the cities because they like the smalltown atmosphere. They bring their kids and their dogs and they stay sometimes for the whole weekend. "

The event, Wilhite said, started more than 30 years ago.It was temporarily moved to Tyler in the 1990s and then brought back to Edom in 2002 af- ter the Edom Area Chamber of Commerce was created.

"This is a juried art show," she said. "That means you have to submit your work, and it has to be a certain quality to get in."

On Oct. 17, the festival is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., near The Shed. The next day, it is set for 11 to 4.

Visit the festival's Web site at festivalofthearts.com.