It’s beginning to look at lot like ... chickens?

Yup, it’s that time of year again for Gainesville to pull out all the stops in celebration of its favorite feathered friend, the chicken. The party wraps up on April 24 with the main event — the Spring Chicken Festival’s Chicken Cook-off — but is already underway in the form of a chicken-themed art show at Frames You-Nique on the downtown Gainesville square.

Dubbed the "Fowl Art Show," the paintings and sculptures created by local artists celebrate not just the chicken in its natural habitat, but also play on chicken phrases. It’s on display through April 24, and the 20 entries can also be seen at Gallerie 110, Atlas Pizza, Occasions and Gem Jewelry.

The first-place prize in the show went to Carmen Stolorena, whose "Proud Rooster" is a portrait in oil of a classic black-and-white chicken foraging in her pen. Second place was awarded to Margaret Cameron’s "Grillin for Gold" and third went to Sharon Farker’s "Dressed to Kill."

And while the winning painting depicts a realistic chicken, lots of other artists took creative license with their pieces.

For example, Alice Ann Mundy submitted two pieces — "Sweet and Sour Chicken" and "Chicken a la King," each with bright colors and fanciful chickens that come with their own fowl backstories. Other artists, such as Rosemary Dodd, created 3-D ceramics; hers is a bright, whimsical chicken more than a foot tall.

Cindy Reed, executive director of Keep Hall Beautiful, which benefits form the Spring Chicken Festival, said Stolorena’s painting will be the T-shirt design for next year’s festival.

"I’m so excited; this is a new component for us," Reed said of the art show organized by Frames You-Nique. "We hope that will be an annual program that builds and builds. I thought the artwork was fabulous and I had a good time seeing it."

Later this month, the Chicken Cook-off will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 24 and feature both professional and amateur chefs creating their own chicken dishes. The registration deadline for the cook-off is April 12.

Last year about 20 cooking teams cooked up about 3,000 pounds of chicken provided by Mar-Jac, Fieldale Farms and Wayne Farms.

Tickets for the cook-off are $8 for adults, $5 for children younger than 10, and will include samples provided by the teams for judging.

The festival also will include the Rubber ChickEkiden, a Chicken Feathers quilt show from the Hall County Quilt Guild and children’s activities provided by Interactive Neighborhood for Kids.

Proceeds from the event benefit Keep Hall Beautiful’s Tree Replacement Fund and Environmental Education Programs.