This is the continuation of a series of articles profiling some of the artists participating in this year’s Austin ArtWorks Festival. The series will continue until the festival itself.

Although the Austin ArtWorks Festival isn’t until Aug. 24-25, it is already time to start preparing to attend.

Below is a list of things to do to get ready for this year’s Festival:

•Read books by attending authors. We have compiled a reading list of books by the authors participating in this year’s Festival. Some of the books include: “Trylle Trilogy” by Amanda Hocking, “Walk: My Journey of Faith & Discovery after Paralysis” by Randy Krulish, and “Rain & Revolution” by Therese Pautz. The full list of books can be found on austinartworksfestival.org.

•Start training for a 5K run. The Hormel Institute, Austin ArtWorks Festival, Austin Area Foundation, Riverland Community College, and the Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Austin are teaming up to organize Austin’s first Color Dash run at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. Runners start the race with a clean white shirt.

Throughout the dash, runners will be covered in a spectrum of colors. There will be a new color explosion at each kilometer, with a final explosion of colors at the finish line. For more information visit thecolordash5k.com.

•Buy tickets to see Martin Zellar and the Hardways and Cloud Cult at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 24. On Aug. 1, tickets to this event will increase to $30. Buy yours early to get a $10 discount. Tickets can be purchased online at austinartworksfestival.org or at the Historic Paramount Theatre Box Office.

•Check out KSMQ’s “Off 90” episodes about the festival and several of the participants. A link to all the videos can be found on the ArtWorks website.

•Get acquainted with all ArtWorks participants. The Austin ArtWorks website has links to artists’ personal websites and examples of their work. Visit it to learn more before attending the Festival.

•Sign up to volunteer. We need as much help as possible setting up, cleaning up, and working at the Festival. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jennie Knoebel at 507-434-0934 or director@paramount theatre.org.