As the finishing touches take place for the 41st annual Art in the Park, festival organizers are sharing a story about how the event and its connections save lives.
This year's festival at Willistead Manor is scheduled for June 1-2 with a new shuttle service running from Devonshire Mall's former Sears parking lot.
The festival will see 260 arts and artisans, including 30 new vendors.
Chair Randy Winters says the shuttle service should help alleviate the parking concerns for the festival.
"We are going to have parking spots available for well over 600 vehicles, we are going to running a shuttle service every 15 minutes beginning at 9:30am on the Saturday, so there will be a bus here at the site whenever you come," he says.
One of the vendors for the past seven years is Rallis Olive Oil who received some devastating news two years ago.
Two days before the festival in 2016, Theo Rallis was told he needed a kidney otherwise he would be in complete renal failure within a year.
Despite the grim news, the Rallis set up their booth at Art and the Park and when they shared their story with a regular customer, Sharon Uttaro, she decided to get tested.
Turns out, Uttaro was a match and a year later, the kidney transplant took place and both are doing well.
Theo Rallis says he feels crazy lucky.
"It is literally one in 300,000 but it is not that, because not everyone signs up to get tested, so it is in the millions."
The Rallis are pointing out that in addition to the festival, connections are made which could lead to 'angels.'
They are encouraging people to register to be an organ donor.
Free shuttle service is being offered from Devonshire Mall for the 2019 Art in the Park. (Photo by AM800's Teresinha Medeiros)
Proceeds from the event are shared by the Willistead Restoration Fund and charities supported by the Windsor Rotary Club.
Shuttle services are also taking place from the Hiram Walker parking lot on Riverside Dr. East and the Windsor Regional Hospital parking lot at 1591 Kildare.