By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – By 1 p.m., over 1,100 attendees crossed the bridge to Orr Park to experience the 2011 Montevallo Art Show April 9, and the show didn’t end until 4 p.m.

The art show featured 75 artists and 68 booths, along with musical entertainment, food tents and free face painting for children.

“We’ve had a huge turnout already, and it’s a very pleasant day,” said Libbie Rodgers, president of Montevallo’s Arts Council. “People are enjoying the show. The artists are high-quality, and people are happy with the variety of the artwork.”

Steve and Barb Mills of Montevallo brought their two daughters, Reagan and Shelby, to the art show.

“It’s surprising how many artists are from around here,” Steve Mills said. “When you come to Montevallo, you can just feel that it slows down, and people are chilling out, having a good time.”

The Montevallo Sister City Commission hosted a booth to raise money for relief efforts in Montevallo’s sister city, Echizen, Japan.

“While the city itself wasn’t affected by the earthquake and tsunami directly, many of our friends had family in the area,” Freda Shivers said.

Deborah Foster, a glass artist from Prattville, set up her tent at the show to share her artwork with the community.

“I do (glasswork) because I like it. I’m retired, and I can’t just sit at home and watch TV all day. This is my second childhood,” Foster said. “It takes a lot of practice, and sometimes I make mistakes, but sometimes they’re good mistakes.”

Painter Brian Bohanan of Helena showed off his artwork in order to share his artistic vision.

“It’s a beautiful day and a nice layout with a lot of friendly people,” Bohanan said. “It all started as a hobby, and it’s still a hobby, but I wanted to share my vision with people.”