MARIETTA - Art enthusiasts crowded Marietta Square on Saturday to experience the 24th annual Art in the Park festival.

Each year, the festival attracts artists from across the nation for a juried art show and artist market during the Labor Day weekend. The festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Marietta Square today and Monday. Admission is free. Weekend parking is free at the Cherokee Street parking deck.

Between 30,000 and 40,000 people are expected to attend the three-day festival, according to organizers.

"It was probably one of the largest first-day crowds that we've had in a long time," said Carolyn Morris, the festival's show director.

More than 130 artists from 16 states display and sell their paintings, photography, sculptures, pottery and jewelry at the art extravaganza that's listed as one of this month's Top 20 Events by the Southeast Tourism Society.

In addition to the artist market, visitors can stroll the Interactive Art Alley and create their own "make-and-take" art projects.

Among the many artists who've set up tents to display their work is Ann Cockerill, an Austell painter, who has been a fixture in Cobb's art scene for five decades. She was born on the same street her Red Cockerill Gallery is located at 2845 Cemetery St. in Austell.

Cockerill has created a variety of oil, watercolor and acrylic paintings, including those depicting Kennesaw Mountain and Smyrna's Concord Bridge.

"Perfect weather, perfect crowd, sales are great and it's wonderful," Cockerill said of the art festival.

A Toronto native, Suzanne Wagner is the owner of Mz. Scarlett's Stained Glass in Powder Springs. She has been making colorful stained glass art for two decades using different designs.

"I love a lot of color in my artwork," she said. "So you can see I lean toward the yellows, blues and reds, because when the sun comes through it just tells a story."

Morris said what has made Art in the Park successful for nearly a quarter of a century is the fact that it is a juried show, for which artists' work must be reviewed in order to participate.

"We are able to keep the art that is displayed and sold at a very high level," she said. "I think the community and those who come to the festival appreciate good, quality art. That's what makes Art in the Park really special."

During the festival, attractions such as the Marietta-Cobb Museum of Art, Marietta Museum of History, Theatre in the Square and Strand Theatre will have special weekend hours.