Three of Ellsworth’s top cultural players have teamed up to create Arts and Antiques week, a celebration of the city’s creativity and heritage that takes place from Aug. 12 to 18 in various downtown locations.

Last summer, the Ellsworth Antiques Show returned to the Woodlawn Museum in grand style. At the same time, Courthouse Gallery Fine Art opened nearby. Their respective directors, Joshua Torrance and Karin Wilkes, decided it was high time for a collaboration, so they enlisted the help of the Hancock County Cultural Network to ensure the creation of a weeklong slate of activities.

“We hope this week will be known as a time to come to Ellsworth and see great art, great antiques, great culture,” Torrance said. “Ellsworth is more than just a place you drive through on your way to somewhere else. It’s a premier destination.”

In keeping with that vision, the organizers have lined up a schedule of destination-worthy events, including a long-awaited sidewalk arts festival. HCCN, a local arts advocacy group, will present the show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, in the Hancock Oil parking lot. Fine art, photographs, ceramics and fiber arts will be on display.

The festivities will kick off at 1 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, at Courthouse Gallery Fine Art with an opening reception for a quartet of exhibitions: “Stephen Pace: A Farewell to Maine,” “Interior Space,” “Works on Paper” and “20th Century Painting.”

The arts theme continues at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13, at The Grand Auditorium, with a screening of four short films from the “Maine Masters Series.” Hosted by Brooksville artist Robert Shetterly, the series is a project of the Union of Maine Visual Artists. The admission fee of $7 will directly contribute to the series’ ongoing funding.

The ever-popular Ellsworth Antiques Show begins with a preview party Wednesday, Aug. 15. The event will take place at the Woodlawn Museum and will feature hors d’oeuvres from the Crocker House in Hancock. Admission is $65 per person, and reservations are suggested. Call 667-8671 for details.

The show, which features 27 nationally known antiques dealers, will continue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. On Friday, an afternoon tea at Woodlawn will feature a lecture on Oriental rugs by antiques expert and television personality Peter Pap. The tea and talk costs $30 per person and reservations are requested by calling Woodlawn at 667-8671.

An appraisal clinic will allow collectors to learn the value and historical context surrounding their favorite antiques. The private event will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at Woodlawn. The $75 admission fee includes a written appraisal and evaluation of two objects, advice on how to care for your antiques, and admission to both the show and museum. Refreshments will be served; reservations are requested.

In related events, Somesville art writer Carl Little will discuss “Varieties of Maine Realism” from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at Courthouse Gallery Fine Art, while Amity Shlaes, author of “The Forgotten Man,” will speak at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at Ellsworth High School. Shlaes is a senior columnist for Bloomberg and a visiting senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Her book focuses on the Great Depression.

The festivities will wrap up at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, with a performance by blues pianist Marcia Ball. Ball will perform New Orleans boogie-woogie, zydeco, rock and blues at The Grand Auditorium. Tickets cost $28 and are available by calling 667-9500.

“It’s amazing how many things are going on in Ellsworth,” Torrance said. “There’s an amazing energy and a really great feeling downtown.”

For more information, call Courthouse Gallery at 667-6611, Woodlawn at 667-8671 or visit www.woodlawnmuseum.com/antiques.