The Troy Fest is not until the first Saturday in April, but plans are already under way to make the annual event even bigger and better than last year.

The Troy Fest Committee met Wednesday at Troy City Hall to get the ball rolling.

The main topic of discussion was financing for the arts festival now that admission is not charged.

Dawn Railey, chairperson, said corporate sponsorships are essential to the growth of the arts festival.

"We need to increase the number of corporate sponsorships and we will work toward doing that," she said and asked for suggestions on how to best attract corporate sponsors.

Suggestions included sponsor booths, a greater percentage of the sponsorship set aside for purchases of art by the sponsor and sponsorship of the entertainment stages.

Any business that is interested in being a corporate sponsor of the Troy Fest may direct questions to Shelia Jackson, public relations director for the city of Troy, at 566-0711.

The committee discussed the location for the children's art exhibit.

The exhibit will again be in the fellowship hall of First Methodist Church of Troy. The children's area will be moved to the parking lot across from the church, increasing the scope of the festival.

The committee decided to enhance the children's area by adding a stage and several performance events, including a storyteller and a puppet show.

The committee also discussed evaluation forms competed by vendors at the 2003 Troy Fest. All indicated that they like having the festival in the downtown area. The committee voted to keep the festival on the square.

"We are excited about Troy Fest and the huge success of the festival on the square," Jackson said. "Having the festival in downtown Troy brings people to the heart of our town. We have a beautiful downtown area and a large variety of shops."

"We want people to come downtown and see what our merchants have to offer. The Troy Fest and downtown Troy are a great combination. And, we are going to work very hard to make each Troy Fest better than the last."