Every spring, National Art Honor Society holds an art fair for local elementary school students to do fun crafts, eat yummy food, and become acquainted with Bearden’s art department.

This year, NAHS will be holding its annual Kids Art Fair on Thursday in the art room from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

“The Kids Art Fair is the perfect opportunity for kids to have a little fun outside of school while also promoting creativity,” NAHS senior Taylor Leonard said.

Activities available at this year’s art fair include making macaroni noodle necklaces, face painting, cookie decorating, creating masks, and using silkscreens to put designs such as handprints or names on T-shirts.

One new feature this year will be a chalk-drawing contest outside of the art room.

“The NAHS kids have free range to help decide what activities will be available at the event, and this year they really felt like they had all the bases covered,” art teacher and NAHS sponsor Mrs. Anna Boyd said. “I think it will be a lot of fun for everyone.”

All activities are free to the children that attend.

This year, the art students are learning from past mistakes in order to make sure this year’s art fair goes off without a hitch.

“Last year, we forgot to purchase the dome for the Cotton Candy machine, so we used a homemade one,” NAHS member Amy Chen said. “Cotton candy was flying everywhere and it was a crazy mess, so this year we spent a little extra and bought a dome.”

Helping with the art fair gives NAHS members a chance to earn community service hours while also encouraging interactions between different age groups.

“As high schoolers, we seem like giants to the kids,” Chen said. “Doing events like this really helps give these young children a better perception of older kids, and shows them that we aren’t as scary as we seem while also showing them how fun art can be.”

The art fair also gives the local community a chance to become better acquainted with Bearden’s art department.

“By having (the event) here in our art room, it helps kids become more aware about the opportunities they have to do art,” Leonard said. “So when the kids come to Bearden in 10 years or however long it takes them, they might say, ‘I really want to do art here.’”

The kids art fair is open to anyone in the community who wishes to participate and, judging by last year, the club is expecting a big turn out.

“I feel the art fair is a great opportunity for NAHS because it helps show them that what they are doing matters, even if it is just doing something nice for a kid or their family,” Mrs. Boyd said. “Being able to share that experience through art-making is really special.”