NORWICH – The creative talents of countless musicians and artisans will paint downtown Norwich this Colorscape weekend with the hues of their diverse crafts, drawing thousands of spirited patrons to the free festival.

In what has grown to be a sensation of the arts over the last 15 years, the paths of East and West Park in the City of Norwich will be adorned with dozens of tents holding the visual delights of more than 93 juried artists Saturday and Sunday.

For their final year, the towering Greco-Roman columns of the Chenango County Courthouse will set the stage for the event as it steps bear the weight of the nine professional gospel and folk entertainers set to play throughout the weekend. A new, permanent pavilion-style stage is scheduled to be built in the opposing East Park by next year’s 16th annual event, dramatically altering its traditional layout.

Colorscape music coordinator for the last 11 years, Ken Millett, says he’s convinced this year’s festival will “break all our records, whatever they are.”

He’s not alone either. Colorscape’s Executive Director for the last 10 years, Peggy Finnegan, agrees.

“This year we have more juried artists in the show than we’ve ever had,” she said.

Finnegan added that eight of the juried artists were new and another 16 were participating in the show for only their second year.