SANDPOINT — The Pend Oreille Arts Council has held its annual Arts and Crafts Fair at City Beach for the past 45 years.

This year, however, the two-day event is moving to downtown in the area of Jeff Jones Town Square.

"POAC looks at this move as an opportunity to collaborate with the city of Sandpoint to bring vitality downtown during this busy weekend," said POAC staff members Hannah Combs and Jackie Carter in an email to the Daily Bee on Thursday. "All the details are coming together nicely and we are looking forward to our community coming together to celebrate the arts."

The Arts and Crafts Fair occurs during one of the busiest weekends of the year in Sandpoint, held in conjunction with the second weekend of concerts at the Festival at Sandpoint and the Bonner County Fair. Last year, approximately 3,000 visitors browsed the fair, according to Combs and Carter. More than 90 artist booths, live entertainment and a youth art arena will be part of the fair this year. Artwork exhibited includes sculpture, ceramics, metal, fiber, photography, paintings, mixed media, wood, crafts, and more. All proceeds go directly to support POAC’s programs in visual and performing arts and art education in the community.

"We are excited to have the POAC Arts and Crafts Fair move downtown this year," said Mayor Shelby Rognstad in a statement. "It's a great partnership and we believe it will give greater visibility to the event and all of its vendors. It's also good for our downtown businesses impacted by construction this year. Bringing more visitors and activity into the downtown core supports a vibrant and healthy downtown business climate."

Fair booths will be located on Main Street between the town square and First Street and on Second Street between Church and Cedar. The center stage will be located on the corner of Main Street and Second Avenue. The fair will be held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. 

In a statement, City Administrator Jennifer Stapleton said there will be traffic changes to accommodate the fair downtown. Beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, there will be no on-street parking on Main Street between the town square and First Avenue, as well as on Second Avenue between Church and Cedar. Signs will be posted and violators will be towed, Stapleton said.

In order to maintain the flow of traffic around the event, Cedar Street will be reopened to traffic on all blocks between Fifth and First avenues Friday through Sunday.

According to a construction update from Sandpoint Public Works director Amanda Wilson, Cedar Street construction between Third and Fourth avenues is slated to wrap up today. The street will open at 3 p.m. and remain open through 6 a.m. Monday.

As work resumes next week on Cedar, the block between Fourth and Fifth avenues will be closed to motorists into September. There will be variable closures to follow as crews work on paving, landscaping and cleanup of the work area on Cedar Street.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.