The largest arts festival in Dallas — The Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair — opened Friday morning as sprinkling rain fell in Dallas. “This is early April in North Texas,” Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair Executive Producer Breonny Lee said. “We’re always kind of rolling the dice with th e weather here.” Artists finished setting up their booths as the first festival visitors strolled through, carrying their umbrellas. “I’d take this weather over 85-90 all day long,” photographer Justin Terveen said. “Yay for me, is the bulk of the rain looked like it was gonna happen this morning.” “So we choose this life,” Lee said with a smile. “It’s why we have a three-day festival, so if we have a washout, we still have a good show.” The Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair is the largest arts festival in Dallas. The emphasis is on community. “You gotta have your local talent, because we’re what make this city,” Southern folk art woodcarver Aaron Hunt said. “We’re a community, and we really embody that here at this show.” Hunt is a ‘featured artist’ at the festival. His woodworking art pieces have themes of cowboys, hearts, and flowers. “So we’re kinda taking, like, that Texas Deep South culture and, like, like our art, and then just presenting it in a different way that maybe other audiences haven’t seen it as,” Hunt said. “This is really where it’s at,” Terveen said. “I mean, there’s lots of competing festivals, but at the end of the day, this is one that’s community-driven by community volunteers. We have a focus on local artists, and this is where you’ll find art that can’t get into other shows.” The Deep Ellum Community Arts Fair isn’t just art. It includes live music on several stages, performance artists, and poetry readings. The festival runs through Sunday, April 6. More information can be found on the DeepEllumFair.com website. ...read more read less