FAIRHOPE, Alabama—Put on your walking shoes, grab a pair of binoculars, find your reading glasses, remember the sunscreen and join upwards of 20,000 runners and walkers, birders, art enthusiasts, readers and music fans expected to visit Fairhope from Oct. 4 through Oct. 7 for one “grand” weekend.

More than a half-dozen events are planned and organized around the large annual downtown traditions in October of The Grand Festival of Arts and the John L. Borom Alabama Coastal BirdFest.

Those events have been coordinated this year with First Friday Art Walk, the annual Mullet Run, a new literature festival, and a Sunday night performance by the Baldwin Pops on the bluff overlooking Mobile Bay, to make it a grand weekend indeed.

“This year marks the 30^th year for the Eastern Shore Art Center’s Grand Festival of Art and the first year it will be a Friday and Saturday event,” said Kate Fisher, executive director of the Eastern Shore Art Center, which sponsors the art festival. “This change will give exhibitors the opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of First Friday Art Walk along with all the other scheduled events.  This show is a favorite of our artists and gives visitors the chance to chat with them about their artwork.”

The festivities for the long event-filled weekend actually begin tomorrow night, Wednesday, Oct. 3, with a reception, orientation and slideshow for the opening of the 9^th Annual Alabama Coastal BirdFest at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center.

The BirdFest begins in earnest the next day, on Thursday, Oct. 4, with a variety of field trips along the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail, such as at Fort Morgan, Dauphin Island, Weeks Bay, the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, Bayou La Batre, Forever Wild Grand Bay Savannah, and parks along Mobile Bay, plus a new visit to Graham Creek Nature Preserve in Foley.

On Friday, Oct. 5, from 6-8 p.m., the First Friday Art Walk takes place, with the opportunity to stroll downtown streets and visit galleries, stores and restaurants. The cool fall weather should be perfect for that evening.

The BirdFest continues through Saturday with its major downtown event at the Fairhope campus of Faulkner State Community College that day.

“The Bird & Conservation Expo really offers something for all ages,” said Fran Morley, for the Alabama Coastal BirdFest, of the popular Oct. 6 event. “We have hands-on activities and fun for little children, such as making a suet bird feeder or putting together materials to help a mama bird feather her nest

“We also have Boy Scouts Troop 47 in Fairhope helping with our birdhouse-building activities, plus a variety of simple workshops that teach kids a bit about science. We have vendors and exhibits that the parents will appreciate, and of course the live raptor shows are always a huge hit. It's a great day to learn about birds and nature.”

The Grand Festival of Art itself takes place on Friday and Saturday on Fairhope Avenue and surrounding streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is free.

The show features more than 70 local, regional, national and international artists. Visitors will find woodworking, blown glass, painting, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, photography and much more fine art and fine craft. One of the opportunities festival visitors enjoy is the chance to meet the artists in person.

“Our audience has the opportunity to interact with the artists, learn a little about their inspiration and find out how the pieces are made,” said Bob Young, co-chairman of the festival.

Artist Joan Blackburn of Pensacola, Fla., will award a total of $3,000 in cash prizes for Best of Show and first, second and third-place prizes. Blackburn is a well-known Pensacola artist, teacher, juror and art judge.

Other Saturday events include the Mullet Run, which includes a 5K and a one-mile fun-run/walk. The 5K race starts at 8:30 a.m. behind the Fairhope Museum of History on Bancroft Street side, with same-day registration from 7:15 to 8:15. The fun-run/walk starts at 9:30 a.m. at the finish line at the intersection of Fairhope and Morphy avenues at Henry George Park, where the awards ceremony will take place.

On Sunday, two musical events take the stage. The first, the Mobile Symphony Orchestra Woodwind Trio at ESAC ($15), begins at 2 p.m. And the second, a free performance by the Baldwin Pops in Henry George Park, starts at 6:30 p.m.

A new event this year is the Grand Festival of Books sponsored by Page and Palette bookstore, which takes place on Friday and Saturday on De La Mare Street. It features activities for all ages, including a focus on children’s activities Saturday morning, with readings, book-signings and other events involving dozens of award-winning and best-selling writers taking place throughout the two days.

Although 20,000 people may seem like a lot for this weekend of events in Fairhope, it pales next to the 200,000 plus crowds that attend the spring Arts and Crafts Festival.

And that is why Fisher calls this weekend’s array of festivals and events in downtown Fairhope, “a smaller, intimate and more casual experience.”

For more information, check out the websites for ESAC, BirdFest, Page and Palette and other sponsor groups.