There will be something for anyone who loves books or art (or both!) at Art in the Park and Books in the Basement. Create Columbia and the Columbia Public Library are coming together for the event which will be held on Saturday, May 18, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the library, 24 S. Sixth St., and in Locust Street Park in Columbia.

As Janette Toth-Musser of Create Columbia explained, the nonprofit organization decided to hold its art event in conjunction with the library's annual fundraiser for the first time.

"This brings attention to both organizations," she said. "The library fundraiser will be a book sale from the library's basement, along with silent auction items like special books, artworks and the ever-popular homemade cakes. The library will benefit from the sale of these items."

In the park, a variety of artists will set up stands displaying traditional and abstract art. The Columbia School of Music will entertain, and members of the Columbia High School drama booster club will also participate. So far, about a dozen spaces are confirmed, but Toth-Musser noted there is room for more.

"If you are an artist or a nonprofit organization and would like to set up a space, contact us at chair@createcolumbia.org, and we will make an arrangement," she said. "Artists' work will be for sale. They retain their profits." While Create Columbia will benefit from a charge to set up a space, any nonprofit organizations that participate will be able to do so without paying a fee.

Create Columbia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the arts in Columbia. "We hold fundraising events every year, including a popular Art in the Gardens garden tour," Toth-Musser shared. "We place an artist and musician in each garden that is on the tour. ... This year, the tour will be on Saturday, June 8."

In past years, Art in the Park was always a popular event in Columbia, she noted, and Create Columbia is working to bring it back to its full impact. "We are hoping to grow this event in the coming years," she said.

For more information on Create Columbia, Art in the Gardens or the art and book sale, visit http://www.createcolumbia.org.