MOUNT DORA, Fla. — Preparations are underway for the Mount Dora Arts Festival, which is celebrating its 50th year this weekend.

This event takes over several city blocks in an area where parking can already be a little bit of a headache.

In fact, the city leaders had a meeting earlier this month to discuss solutions.

Now, business owners are getting ready for the influx of people, while festival organizers work to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Kristie Rocca, co-owner and manager of Walk In The Woods, is getting her store ready for the weekend.

“They say over 200,000, like close to 250,000 people come through, is what we’re told," she said. "And you can feel it when you’re in the store. You know, this weekend, it’ll be shoulder to shoulder and nonstop action, but it’s really fun."

The event means big business for her, as she expects to do about five times the sales compared a typical summer weekend. But more customers means the need for more parking.

“We do have parking challenges in this town," Rocca said. "I think most people know that who come here and visit or live here, but for big events, a lot of accommodations are made. So that’s a little different. There’s a plan in place."

At the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, Executive Director Janet Gamache has been working on that plan. While there will be many road closures, as more than 300 artists line the streets to show off their work, Gamache said people should be able to get in and out of the festival easily.

“Parking can be a challenge in Mount Dora, so we tell people to take the shuttle," she said. "The shuttle is located at 900 Lincoln Ave., and it’s a free shuttle. So it’s best not to just loop around. It’s better than just go straight (to the) shuttle and they’ll drop you off right at the event and pick it up.”

Rocca said she and her staff have designated parking as well, which gives her confidence going into the weekend. She said she actually sees more parking issues on the average day, which frustrates her.

“Because, as a business owner, we need people to come here and we need it to be easy for them,” she said. “We want them to have a good, very positive experience. And that starts with them driving into town and finding a spot to park and not having to take 20 minutes to circle and circle and circle.”

She said she’s happy to know city leaders are looking into solutions and hopes that one day they will consider building a parking garage. Until then, Rocca said she's eager to share the other options that are in place, like Mount Dora Transit and the Freebee shuttle, all to get people to the things they love most in Mount Dora.

“We want to make sure that everybody has accessibility to come into town as easy as possible and that they can come in and have a great time, she said.

The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.