Jonathan Gagnon, on left, and Joyce Nix organize tickets for the upcoming Bloomin’ Festival.

St. Bernard’s Bloomin’ Festival is still a couple months away, but the 170 vendors for the festival have already been booked.

The Bloomin’ Festival, which will take place April 21-22, usually brings around 20,000 visitors to the picturesque grounds of St. Bernard to wander through booths featuring the handcrafted creations of artisans from around the Southeast and as far away as Wisconsin and New York.

The vendors include makers of a wide variety of arts and crafts, including pottery, quilts, jewelry, lawn furniture, plants, clothing, wood turning, paintings, ceramics and more.

“Many of the favorites from previous years will be back for the festival, and a few new additions to the exhibitor lineup are sure to be a big hit,” Joyce Nix, festival director, said. “Choosing the right artisans for the festival isn’t as simple as just accepting the first applications that come in, because there needs to be a good mix of exhibitors offering different products.”

“We like to keep a nice variety,” she added.

The vendors are usually a hit, but one homemade item also always brings a crowd. Monk bread remains one of the most popular items of the festival, with people clamoring to get to it as soon as it comes out of the oven, Nix said.

“Everybody just flocks over there to get it,” she said.

Ave Maria Grotto will also be offering a discounted special admission price of only $3 per person for the entire weekend, and a slate of prizes will be offered to attendees, including a 2018 Jeep Renegade.

Whether it’s for the bread, the prizes or the handmade products, the Bloomin’ Festival always offers a good time for its visitors, Nix said.

“There’s a lot of fun in it for the entire family,” she said. “It’s a good time for people to come and shop for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas or just for themselves.”

Keep up with Bloomin’ Festival by liking the event’s Facebook page at facebook.com/bloominfestival, or visit their website at bloominfestival.com.

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138.