The 33rd annual Fort Clifton Arts, Music and Craft Festival will be May 10-11 at Berberich Park, site of Fort Clifton, in Colonial Heights.

The fort is behind Tussing Elementary School, 5501 Conduit Road, off Brockwell Lane.

The Fort Clifton Festival began in May 1976 as part of the bicentennial celebration. It has become an annual event, held on Mother's Day weekend.

The family-oriented and educational festival highlights the historic significance of the fort and its importance in the Civil War to the Petersburg defense line.

Berberich Park encompasses Fort Clifton, where Confederate forces fended off land and river attacks during May 1864.

Fort Clifton is on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.

The festival will feature 100 arts and crafts exhibitors, 10 Civil War exhibitors, encampments and living history. Civil War re-enactors will also be on hand with lectures, drills and camp demonstrations.

Colonial Heights will celebrate 60 years as a city at noon Saturday with the unveiling of the painting "Climbing to the Heights" by Henry Kidd.

Activities for children, such as pony rides and a petting zoo by Laughing Place Inc., will be provided as well as musical entertainment.

On Saturday, Tussing Elementary School will perform patriotic songs at 10:30 a.m. The Virginia Tae Kwon Do Institute will be at the amphitheater from 11:30 a.m. to noon. Performing from noon to 2 p.m. will be Change of Heart, a gospel band from Dinwiddie. At 2:30 p.m., the Fort Lee Dixie Land Band will perform until 4:30 p.m.

On Sunday, Jackass Flats from Mechanicsville will play bluegrass from 1 to 4:30 p.m. They are the 2002 VFMA Virginia State Champion.

There will be free parking, free admission and rides for children. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

Festival sponsors are Colonial Heights Historical Society, Colonial Heights Recreation and Parks Department and Colonial Heights Chamber of Commerce.

Special thanks to the Wal-Mart Foundation, the City Council of Colonial Heights and Colonial Heights Moose for their donations.

For more information, contact the Colonial Heights Recreation Department at (804) 520-9390 or gleasons@colonial-heights.com. Also visit www.colonial-heights.com/FortCliftonFestival.htm.