Art and the outdoors go together like a brush and a canvas, like the Lititz Art Association and Venture Lititz, like Quick Draw and Taste of Lititz.

Venture Lititz and the Lititz Art Association are pooling their talents and resources to stage a unique outdoor art event designed to enrich the community. Quick Draw and Taste of Lititz are a couple of simultaneous local happenings - an event within an event.

"Our goal with the Lititz Art Association is to foster and promote the arts and partner with other organizations which have similar purposes," said Donna Felton, a board member of both the Lititz Art Association and Venture Lititz. "Venture Lititz and the Lititz Art Association are a natural combination; we work on projects together. All of the board members have their own specialties, and my role for Venture Lititz is for the arts."

Held in conjunction with Venture Lititz's tradition-rich Taste of Lititz street festival, Quick Draw is a judged and timed art competition pitting local artists against one another for cash prizes. The Quick Draw contest will be held at the Lititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, June 7, and then the artists' creations will be put up for display and sale. East Main Street will be blocked off from Water Street to Broad Street for Taste of Lititz between 4 and 9 p.m.

Artists age 18 and older can preregister for the Quick Draw contest at http://www.lititzartassociation.com or up until 10 a.m. at the event.

"We're trying to bring people to Lititz for a day out and to enjoy the medium of two-dimensional art," said Felton. "It's really the art part of Taste of Lititz. There are other things during Taste of Lititz where people can wander around and try their hands at art. Quick Draw is the professional artists. We're trying to get onlookers to come out while the artists are painting."

Nearly 30 artists from Lancaster County and southeastern Pennsylvania are expected to participate in the Quick Draw contest. Typically, contestants employ mediums like oil, acrylics, watercolors, pencil, pen, pastel, ink and charcoal to create two-dimensional representations of architecture, landscape, plants or any subject of their choosing.

The artists are allotted two hours to complete their creations from a blank canvas. Eighty percent of the proceeds from the sale of the artworks goes to the artists, while the other 20% is donated to Venture Lititz.

"You have to think about how you're going to go from a blank canvas to a finished product in two hours," said Felton. "I would say most (artists) do it because of their love for the arts. It's nice to win. If you can enjoy the day, win and sell your painting, you have the trifecta."

"Some have been professional artists all their lives," continued Felton. "We have people who have retired and just started painting. We have college students. We have college instructors. We have novices. Some are very talented, and some are beginners. That's the beauty of this event. It's not overwhelming to come out and try it."

While there is a fee to register as an artist for Quick Draw, the art contest is free to spectators, as is entrance to Taste of Lititz. There are costs involved with sampling the fares offered by local restaurants and taverns at Taste of Lititz.

The Taste of Lititz block party will also feature live music. Typically the event draws more than 3,000 visitors to the downtown business district.

For additional information about Taste of Lititz, go to http://www.lititzpa.com/event/taste-of-lititz-3.