COEUR d'ALENE - Cooper Haney shuffled his sneakers daringly atop a hefty rubber ball on Tuesday, his breath short as he maneuvered the globe like an extension of his small frame.

Sweat plastered to his forehead, the 11-year-old zipped a juggling toy on a string and spun it around, his balance unwavering.

"It's really addicting," Haney said of the circus stunts he has learned at ArtShop 2010 this past week at Hayden Meadows Elementary School.

And it's a blast to watch, he added.

"People will say, 'Whoa! You can really do that?'" he said as he flipped the toy again.

Well, it's an art, after all.

Circus tricks are the among the talents local elementary students will perform this Friday to kick off the 42nd annual Art on the Green festival.

Youngsters will demonstrate multicultural dances, instruments and clown routines they learned all week at ArtShop, the performing arts classes funded by the Citizens Council for the Arts, in partnership with Coeur d'Alene School District 271.

"It's a huge involvement of families and local kids. It brings tears to my eyes," said Mike Dodge, treasurer of the Art on the Green board. "I think community spirit is what we love about Art on the Green."

Much of the community plays a role in putting on the outdoor art festival, offering three days of food, entertainment and creative wonders.

The main draw of the festival, which starts at noon on Friday and runs through Sunday afternoon on the North Idaho College campus, remains the winding line of art booths that crowds the grass each year, Dodge said.

Roughly 140 booths are expected this year, he said, featuring paintings, photos, jewelry and other crafts.

Like every year, the artists will gather from all over the country.

"It's a great venue, very successful. I think the artists for the most part do well, even given the economy," Dodge said. "It's great to be able to get artists to show their wares and be able to financially compensate them for their hard work and creativity."

Free music, dance and theater performances will also run all weekend on north and south stages on the NIC campus.

The more than 30 scheduled performers include the Coeur d'Alene Symphony, Arts Flamenco Dance Theatre, San Francisco Scottish Fiddlers and the Coeurimba marimba band.

"It's all free for all three days," Dodge said. "I think the community benefits greatly, the fact that locals can enjoy and create a festive atmosphere."

Food booths will be prevalent as always, with booths for sausage, roast beef, ice cream, snow cones and more, in addition to the booths for Taste of the Coeur d'Alenes and the Coeur d'Alene Downtown Street Fair that coincide with Art on the Green.

The festival will also include a hands-on art area for children and a Clothesline of original art pieces at affordable prices.

More than $5,000 in cash will be awarded to winning artists featured in a juried art show.

Art on the Green runs from noon to 7:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Proceeds from the event go toward promoting art in the community, Dodge said.

"We do what we can, if we have the funding and it's a good cause," he said.

That includes local lectures, concerts and purchasing art for schools and hospitals.

And, of course, the week-long ArtShop classes.

About 190 local kids between second and seventh grade attended ArtShop classes this year, said Renee Kauffman, ArtShop director.

"Some of them are trying something they've never tried before," she said, adding that classes include visual arts like clay, mosaics and glass fusion. "It gives them confidence."

Like 12-year-old Wyatt Srotts, who showed off his glittering mosaic of SoBe-inspired lizards on Tuesday afternoon.

"I like this (class) because I'm not bored in my room in the summer," he said with a grin. "Is it illegal to do the SoBe lizards?"

Creating something artistic is empowering for kids, said mosaic teacher and professional artist Jan Wilhelmi.

"At some point, they're determined. 'I can do this,'" she said. "And then they actually do."