By DEB GRUVER

Staff writer

The 53rd annual Hillsboro Arts and Crafts Fair and 44th annual Marion Art in the Park and Craft Show will bring exhibitors from far and wide to Marion County.

Marion’s show will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 17 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18 in Central Park. Hillsboro’s will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 17 on Main St.

Margo Yates, community enrichment director for Marion, expects 120 exhibitors in Marion from various parts of the country.

“We have kettle corn from Arkansas and metal yard art from Oklahoma,” she said.

Food such as shaved ice, cotton candy, limeades, chicken salad, walking tacos, and funnel cake fries will be available. Marion firefighters will cook hamburgers Saturday at the park’s old gazebo, and high school boosters will make bierocks, which Yates said sell out every year.

A Korean food truck — a new feature for the fair — will roll in on Sunday.

“I think it’ll be a draw for Sunday,” Yates said.

The Hillsboro fair, which typically draws larger crowds than the Marion fair, will feature 180 exhibitors from across the Midwest, director Cait Hall said.

A jury hand-selects every vendor, she said. The fair features home décor, garden art, wood crafts, jewelry, gifts, seasonal décor, bath and spa goods, clothing, food, and baby and children’s items.

Hillsboro Lions Club, Kiwanis, and Chamber of Commerce will have food for sale. First Mennonite Church will sell German food.

The Hillsboro fair does not allow party-based or multi-level marketing businesses. It also doesn’t allow flea market or antique items.

Hillsboro Mayor Lou Thurston said he looks forward to the fair every year.

“It’s had a long tradition,” Thurston said. “It’s a lot of fun, and it brings a lot of people to town.”

Residents “love seeing the crowds,” he said. “I think the small-town nature of it is appealing. I’m looking forward to helping out and greeting people and welcoming them to Hillsboro.”