After what seems like weeks of rain, organizers are hoping a weekend predicted to be dry will bring out Hummingbird Festival-goers in droves.

The Hogansville festival, in its 12th year, kicks off tonight at Victoria Belle Special Events Center with the dinner and silent auction. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served about 7 p.m. Part of the proceeds from the silent auction again will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of West Georgia, which has a unit in Hogansville Elementary School that serves about 95 children with after-school programs.

The bulk of festival events take place Saturday and Sunday, with WSB-TV’s Monica Pearson, wife of Hogansville Assistant Police Chief John Pearson, singing the national anthem at 10:30 a.m. Saturday to open the festivities.

The festival promises its usual food and craft vendors and plenty of games and rides for children. Entertainment stages near the food court will showcase bluegrass, country and gospel singers, a local dance team and other entertainment.

More than 200 arts and crafts booths will offer yard statues, jewelry, toys, handmade soap, cactuses and other plants, and hand-held hummingbird feeders.

A booth will be dedicated to providing seasonal flu shots and blood pressure checks. For those who may have missed the Troup County Humane Society adoption trailer at last weekend’s pet show in LaGrange, the trailer and available pets also will be at the festival, ready for adoption.

The number of vendors at the festival has grown each year to the point where the city is almost out of space downtown to house them.

“Vendors tell other vendors this is the place to be,” said Mary Stewart, a downtown business owner and festival volunteer.

The festival is a good place to begin thinking about Christmas shopping.

“There will be something for everyone,” she said.

First United Methodist Church on Main Street will host the annual collection of student artwork, with an awards ceremony at noon Saturday.

The street dance this year will play host to local band Silver Tongue Devils from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Food, craft and entertainment will be open again for festival-goers at 10 a.m. Sunday.

This year’s festival dinner is being catered by local chef, Sam Deusch and Pappa Grasso’s Italian Bistro, which opened downtown this year. The menu will include Italian and American food, five appetizers, as well as salad and side dishes. “Hummingbird brownies” are one of the dessert options.

The city has led up to the festival this year with Hummingbird Days. Events, including a golf tournament, 5K run-walk, Callaway High School homecoming and a staging of “Foxfire” at the Hogansville Amphitheater, were held on weekends leading up to the two-day event that serves as an unofficial homecoming for Hogansville High School.

At the annual alumni football game Saturday, the festival will induct its second class of Hogansville High School Hall of Fame athletes and coaches. An alumni basketball game sponsored by the Callaway High School athletics department will be Friday night.

Tickets to the festival dinner tonight are $65, but other festival events are free. For more information, call (706) 637-9497.

Jennifer Shrader can be reached at jshrader@ lagrangenews.com or (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.