Organizers of this year’s Opp Fest said new changes will allow the community event to be more of a “true street festival.”

The Eleventh Annual Opp Fest will be Halloween, Sat., Oct. 31, from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. It will include arts and crafts, food, and live entertainment all day long on Main Street and surrounding streets. The live entertainment stage will be set up near the old railroad depot, and there will also be a children’s art exhibition inside the depot building.

“This time it’s going to be held on Main Street itself, rather than the parking lot back near First Baptist Church,” said Bart Boothe, chairman of the Downtown Redevelopment Authority, which sponsors the event. “It’s going to be like a true street festival.”

Following the conclusion of Opp Fest, there will be a Halloween-themed “Kids Fest” held at the Wachovia Bank parking lot, where kids will be able to play games and enjoy free candy and other refreshments starting at 5 p.m.

Opp Police Chief Nickey Carnley said Main Street, from Cumming Avenue to Covington Avenue, will be closed starting at 8 a.m. on Fri., Oct. 30, as the festival is set up. In addition, Main Street from Covington Avenue to the Opp Fire Department building will be closed during the festival.

The Rotary Club is sponsoring its first ever poker run, which will be held that morning. Later in the day, the Lower Alabama Cruisers Club will hold its annual car show. Also during the day, the Opp Cultural Arts Council will hold its juried art show and displaying local artists’ work in the OCAC gallery on Main Street, across from Wachovia Bank.

Entertainment includes a variety of musical talent, including the Opp High School marching band, the Double Nickel Band, the Andalusia Ballet, Hannah Harrison and Cole Sauls, The Turman Family, The Anointed Voices, Bama Express, Southern Express, Destiny Seven, and the Fort Rucker military band.

Kyle Gantt, arts and crafts booth coordinator, said vendor retail booth space is filling up quickly but is still available.

“We’ve got about 32-33 right now, and we usually have between 45-50 spaces filled,” he said. “But we’ll make room for anyone who wants to participate.”

Booths are $45 for a 10-by-10-foot area. For more information about renting booth space, call Gantt or Laurie Dixon at 493-1454.