ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) –

Several hundred people flitted in and out of tents in Pack Square on Saturday, as Asheville Art in the Park series got underway for the first of three Saturdays this month.

The 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. show is the 82nd Saturday show in the series, setting up the next events on June 15 at Pack Square in the heart of downtown Asheville.

The organization was started in 2009 by local glass artist Andrew Montrie.

Montrie was at a craft festival in Philadelphia when he had the idea for Art in the Park.

“I’m walking before the show and notice so many people from Western North Carolina up here in Philadelphia, selling their stuff,” Montrie said. “Why are we all coming up here? Why don’t we just do that in Asheville?”

Montrie reached out to a few of his artist friends, recruited a few more and the downtown craft fair was born.

One vendor, Haley Hughes, makes pastel rainbow candles for her tent, Gilded Fern. This was her third time selling with Art in the Park.

She got involved after spotting the festival downtown and was accepted through Montrie’s rigorous jury process.

“All my stuff pretty much focuses on the female form in a non-sexualized manner,” Hughes said.

Her candles are friendly, multicolored celebrations of the female body. Occasionally, her crafts have a sense of humor, too.

“No one ever notices that this one’s butts at first,” Hughes laughed.

Hughes’ goal is to make crafts that boost the mood of her buyers.

“I actually call my candles serotonin boosts made from soy wax,” Hughes said, “because the whole goal is to make you happy.”

Montrie suggests that artists who are interested in becoming members of Art in the Park look at their website, www.ashevilleartinthepark.com.

“I’m pretty particular,” Montrie warned. “I want to see high quality, handmade work only. I have a lot of rules that limit participation to only local handmade artists.”

Submissions require four images of an artist’s work and one of their booth setup. Once an artist is admitted to Art in the Park, they become a member. There are 65 vendor spots for each show.