By STEVEN CALHOUN/Staff Writer

The Chilton County Arts Council will hold its sixth annual Chilton County Arts Festival at the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center on Nov. 5 and 6.

This year’s festival will also include a free jazz concert on Nov. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Usual Suspects Jazz Band and the vocal group The Eye Witnesses will play traditional and old school jazz favorites for attendees.

“We’ve gathered some of the best musicians in Alabama to bring you these great songs, and I think everyone of every age will love this music, especially people who remember the big bands and the great singers of those days,” said Mike Schiermann, the leader of The Usual Suspects.

“I’d love to see every high school band student in the county in the audience, just to get them exposed to the music and let them see how much fun it is to play,” said Schiermann.

In addition to the jazz concert, there will be plenty of art to admire. Local artists will showcase their work throughout the two-day event.

In a September interview with Suanne Hoyt, president of the Chilton County Arts Council, she expressed the Council’s desire for this year to be bigger and better than ever.

“We really want to build this into a destination festival,” said Hoyt. “You won’t find better artists than we have here; there are some top notch artists at our festival.”

The event was made possible by a grant from the Alabama Council on the Arts and the national Endowment for the Arts. The Chilton County Arts Council was awarded the $3,000 grant in September after Hoyt presented the Council’s vision for the festival to the Alabama Council on the Arts.

The 2016 Chilton County Arts Festival will be held on Nov. 5 and 6 in the Clanton Conference and Performing Arts Center at Jefferson State Community College. Admission is free and anyone can attend.