This Saturday, the Flowery Branch facility — which is a part of the Hall County Library System — will host its first Spring Arts Festival from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

"There are a lot of different festivals in North Georgia, and we just wanted to be a part of that tradition," said Al List, Spout Springs Library adult services manager.

"This is not the same old, stuffy library. We are fun and full of life. We are a cultural center reaching out to the public with new ideas and programs. This (festival) is just a small part of that."

Artists with the Artisans of Flowery Branch group will be on hand Saturday to sell items ranging in price from $5 to several hundred dollars.

"There will be oil and acrylic paintings, pastes, water color and three-dimensional artwork such as sculpture, ceramics, painted gourds and even an Easter favorite — hand-painted Ukrainian eggs," said Sue Palmer, Artisans of Flowery Branch president. "We will also have prints of original paintings, note cards — both hand painted and prints of artwork, bird houses, bird feeds, jewelry and other small items."

Not only is this an opportunity for attendees to pick up a few new artistic pieces, it’s also a chance for buyers to give back to the library. Thirty percent of the proceeds from the art sales will be donated to the Friends of Hall County Library System.

The Artisans of Flowery Branch and the Spout Springs Library have been building a relationship ever since the group painted a mural in the children’s section of the library.

"I designed the mural, and 12 other artists in our group took part in painting the mural with me," Palmer said.

"I worked closely with (library staff) in the design stage to be sure that the design fit seamlessly with the three-dimensional castle wall, turret and entrance to the story time area (of the library)."

Book bags and T-shirts featuring a print of a portion of the mural also will be available for purchase Saturday.

Since it’s because of the children that the two groups began to build a relationship, it’s only fitting that the festival has a something special for the younger attendees.

List said there will be face painting, picture coloring and origami for kids. There also will be an artist on hand to draw portraits of attendees while they wait. Tasty edibles and music will round out the festival’s offerings.

"We hope this can become a tradition of sorts — getting bigger and better every year," List said. "There is no cost to the public. We hope to see everyone there."