The kickoff event for TroyFest tonight is actually two events.

The Johnson Center for the Arts will host a reception for the “Pike County Masters: Jean Lake and Pugh Windham” exhibition from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. and the Troy University Concert Band’s Spring Concert will be at 6 p.m. at the Otis Stephens Gazebo on the square in downtown Troy.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Morgan Drinkard, Johnson Center interim director, said the Jean Lake and Pugh Windham exhibit includes works from the Center’s collection and also from private collections.

“Jean Lake’s career as an artist and the unique paintings she created over her lifetime were the inspiration for the origination of Troy’s Jean Lake Festival, which evolved over the years to become TroyFest,” Drinkard said. “The late Pugh Windham was a Pike County wood carver extraordinnaire who has work included in the collection of the Smithsonian.”

The Johnson Center will have special hours during TroyFest for the showing of The Masters, the TroyFest Student Art Show Competition and the Charles Henderson High School Senior Art Show.

Special hours for the Johnson Center during TroyFest are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and noon until 3 p.m. on Sunday.

“The Masters: Jean Lake and Pugh Windham” exhibition will run through May 30.

Catherine Jordan, with the city’s tourism department, said the spring band concert will be held at the Gazebo even though the weather is cooler than normal for late April.

“We encourage everybody to put on a jacket and join us for this wonderful outdoor concert,” she said. “The concert will be over in an hour and before dark.”

Jordan said the concert is a family event and a good picnic opportunity.

“We have several eateries around the square that stay open late and there is always the option of packing a picnic,” she said. “The city of Troy will have free hotdogs and bottled water and we invite everyone to join our picnic.”

The old-fashioned band concert in the park will be under the direction of Ray Smith and Dr. Larry Blocker and feature light classics and swing standards by noted composers.

“The artists’ exhibition and the Troy University Spring Band Concert are among the many ways that we can showcase downtown Troy,” Jordan said. “Many downtown areas are drying up but downtown Troy is up and running. It is vibrant with many different shopping opportunities and a park that is a wonderful place to relax with family and friends.”

Downtown Troy is an active, entertaining and fun place and tonight the buzz will be the arts.

“We invite everyone to join us for both the artists’ reception and the spring band concert,” Jordan said. “Downtown Troy is the place to be tonight.”