Photos: Handmade Creations and Plenty of Dogs at Cheesman Park Art Festival

Droves of people and their dogs descended on Cheesman Park Saturday, which was rapidly heating under a cloudless sky as this year's Cheesman Park Art Festival got started.

The festival is bringing over 150 juried artists from across the U.S. and plenty of art lovers to the park for two days of live music, food trucks, activities and tons of artwork to check out.

"Look with your eyes and don't touch," one mother warned her child as they slipped into the crowd browsing the artists' booths lining the loop in the middle of the park.

Unperturbed by the heat, people stopped to chat with the artists and look at their wares while their dogs touched noses and gratefully lapped up ice from "Puppy Water" stations. Kids exercised their own creative energy at a craft station that taught them to make "funny monsters," "flying rockets" and "flying butterflies."

The Laurie Damerson Duo opened the stage of live entertainment on Saturday with jazzy tunes, which people gathered in the shade to watch.

The Cheesman Park Art Festival started in 2013 and is dedicated to showcasing handmade work, giving attendees another summer opportunity to see and buy everything from handcrafted jewelry, clothing and paintings to leather bags, needle-felt creatures and wooden works.

Although presented on a much smaller scale, the event is similar to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, which took place earlier this month. Those who missed the Cherry Creek event or who want another chance to find more unique treasures from both local and national artists are in luck — the Cheesman Park Art Festival continues until 5 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 27.

In the meantime, here are some highlights from Saturday morning at the Cheesman Park Art Festival:
The Cheesman Park Art Festival runs until 5 p.m. Saturday, July 26, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, on the south side of Cheesman Park, 1599 East Eighth Avenue.