Janice Lymburner and Priscilla Wilson, co-owners of The Gourd Place in Sautee, send tiny catamarans that use gourds as flotation devices out into their on-site pond each spring.

This year, the so-called "Gourd Girls" will share the experience with the public, inviting anyone who is interested to join in the "Blessing of the Fleet," set for 2 p.m. Saturday.

The event will also include demonstrating artists who, like Lymburner and Wilson, use natural objects in their art.

The artists, who will demonstrate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., include watercolorist Kathleen Kollock, ceramic jeweler Antonia Reed, fiber artist Ike Stovall and basket maker Gae Stovall.

Visitors who come on Saturday also can see the gourd museum and a gallery that displays gourd art and Gourd Impressions Pottery.

The "Blessing of the Fleet" will be a ceremony in which those who attend can write down a dream and place it inside one of the sailboats before they are launched.

The event will take place, rain or shine, at The Gourd Place, located at 2319 Duncan Bridge Road in Sautee.