GRANITE QUARRY — Rowan-Salisbury schools are inviting parents and community members out to see and celebrate student artwork. The student art festival will be held June 3. It will be the first year the district has hosted such an event.

“It’s just something that I’ve been wanting to do and Kelly Fiemster’s been wanting to do for a while,” Dean Orbison, choral director at East Rowan High School, said.

Orbison is calling the festival “a day to showcase art in Rowan County.” Out of the district’s 35 schools, 16 or 17 have agreed to participate in the event. Students from elementary through high school will present work — from visual art to school choruses.

According to Orbison, events like the arts festival really show how important the arts are to schools, and to their communities. The festival will also be a chance for each school to show what its art program is doing to benefit its home territory, as well as give students an opportunity to show off their work.

Admission to the festival will be free, but a number of vendors will be on hand selling food, crafts and other wares. Orbison said that there would be interactive art activities for children, and invited everyone out to come and “celebrate the arts.”

The festival will be held June 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at East Rowan High School. Though Orbison hopes that in the future the event will be held annually or biannually and move around the county.

“Come as you want and stay as long as you like,” he said.

— Rebecca Rider