Artists from around Maine and New England will congregate in Westbrook this weekend for the city’s annual Riverwalk Arts Festival.

The festival will be held this Saturday, Sept. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine, said Event Co-Chairman Susan Eldridge. This is the fifth year there has been an end-of-the-summer art festival in the city, but this is the first year the Westbrook Chamber of Commerce is running the event.

Eldridge said response to the event has been very good, with over 50 artists signed up to display their works along the Riverwalk. “We’ve got a good group,” she said.

Local artists Andy Curran and Caren Michel will be joined by artists from all over the state as well as several artists from New Hampshire and Massachusetts, Eldridge said. “The boardwalk is filled,” she said. In addition, both Chicky’s Fine Diner and Rookies will have stands offering food, said Eldridge.

This year, Eldridge said the festival is going to focus primarily on artists. Last year, the festival expanded to include musicians and crafters. Eldridge said after some consideration, the chamber elected to go back to the festival’s original format, featuring just artists.

There will be one exception however. From 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., the jazz group Take Four will be performing on the boardwalk. Eldridge said the chamber decided to have some music to provide ambience for the festival.

While the festival will be limited to just artists, Eldridge said there would be a wide variety of art for sale. She said there would be oil and acrylic paintings and photographs among the art available. “We have a great selection of things,” she said.

With all the planning done, Eldridge is now watching the weekend weather forecasts with an anxious eye. She said she is hoping for a day like last year, when the Riverwalk Art Festival was held under clear blue skies.

“I think it’s going to be nice,” she said. “If the weather holds, I think it will be a great day.”

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