Green banners and streamers cover the Historic Downtown Mansfield area, while the smell of pickles is in the air. Art Club students pick up brushes, dip them in face paint and welcome children to get ready for the annual St. Patrick’s Pickle Parade and Palooza on March 22.

“Art Club has been participating in the Pickle Parade for about 12 years now,” Art Club Sponsor Dallas Williams said. “We provide face painting and arts and crafts services as a volunteer opportunity.”

The city hosts the annual tradition in Mansfield, which is the Pickle Capital of Texas, all day Saturday. The event is open to everyone of all ages, and includes pet and baby parades, music and food vendors.

“I enjoy being able to see all the different outfits,” Art Club President Satoria Lee said. “Families getting together to celebrate one event.”

The Art Club booth is run by student volunteers.

“It’s kind of like Art Camp in the sense that the kids start to build relationships with other students in the community,” Williams said.

This will be Lee’s fourth year to paint faces.

“We do face painting, one or two paper crafts and bracelet making,” she said. “We get to make them too so it’s fun getting to interact with the kids.”

The event brings the community and the school together, Lee said.

“All the kids are usually really excited about the parade and I like seeing them with energy,” Lee said.

The event runs from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The day includes free crafts, the parents are happy, and the kids are just as ecstatic because somebody took the time to listen and talk to them,” Williams said. “Some students don’t know where Downtown Mansfield even is, so this helps connect them to their community.”

She said it is important to give back to the community through local events.

“The Pickle Parade is a very large event, but it can be very rewarding,” Williams said. “It’s one of those things where once you get started, everyone looks forward to it.”