Tipsy nuns, young Rembrandts and a musical petting zoo - all can be found at the 19th annual Frederick Festival of the Arts this weekend.

The festival, which attracts around 20,000 to 25,000 people every year, will have a variety of activities for adults and children. More than 100 artists and craftsman from all across the country come to display their work in all types of media. Photography, paintings, sculptures, woodworking and more are included in the show.

But this year is a little different.

"There is a little more emphasis on children this year," said festival director Tammy O'Connor. "We want to teach them early on how important the arts are."

Children: The Frederick Delaplaine Visual Arts Center will have drop-in activities throughout the festival. Children and families are invited to stop in and paint or color on easels set up throughout the center. There will also be form sculpture-making as well as other craft stations. Young Rembrandts, an organization dedicated to providing after-school art programs for children, will also be hosting activities.

A different sort of petting zoo will be at the festival. The musical petting zoo is sponsored by the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO). The "petting zoo" is comprised of musical instruments, from oboes to violins, and is a hands-on event for kids. A project of the Women's Committee for the NSO, it allows kids to get up close and touch the instruments they normally would see on stage at a concert.

International children's films will also being playing throughout the weekend. There will be about 20 animated and live-action films that will be running continuously throughout the festival.

Adults: Matthew Pearl, best-selling author of "The Dante Club," "The Poe Shadow" and "The Last Dickens" will be hosting a free public reading. Pearl, a graduate of Harvard and Yale, published his latest book "The Technologists" in February. His popular historical thrillers have made the New York Times bestseller list and have been published in more than 40 different countries.

Local Frederick band, Fuzzy Match, will be performing Saturday night. The band describes itself as a mix of classic rock, blues and R&B.

Sunday afternoon, the rock band The Blues Vultures will be playing. The band plays original songs as well as covers from The Beatles, David Bowie, The Who and others.

Family fun: Storyteller Andy Offutt Irwin will be performing his show "Drunk Nuns, Sober Spirits and other Storytelling Misadventures." Irwin, originally from Georgia, travels around the U.S. performing at festivals. Also a singer and songwriter, he is known for his hilarious stories and original songs.

Artists from the Hot Glass Society will be firing glass beads as demos for the public. Although the demonstrations are not hands-on, artists will talk about the process as they make the beads and will bring examples to display.

- Caia Caldwell, for FlipSide

If you go

WHAT: Frederick Festival of the Arts

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3

WHERE: Downtown Frederick at Carroll Creek Linear Park

COST: Free

DETAILS: Visit frederickartscouncil.org