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Blount County's biggest yearly event -- the Foothills Fall Festival -- is one week away, and organizers are preparing for an onslaught of visitors to downtown Maryville for the festivities.

Each year, thousands of people from East Tennessee and beyond come together for three days of live music by big names, a street festival of arts and crafts and children's activities along the Greenbelt below Harper Avenue. Even those who attend the festival every year often find themselves in a quandary or with a question, so in preparation for this year, city of Maryville events coordinator Jane Groff agreed to answer a few frequently asked questions by festival patrons:

1) How can I get tickets to the concerts?

"Unfortunately, tickets are sold out for the event," Groff said. "People who are interested in volunteering can get in to see a show that way, but we've actually filled up all of our volunteer spots and have a waiting list. We will not be selling any tickets, either reserved or general admission, at the gate."

NOTE: As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, a small number of $125 reserved seats were available for purchase at www.knoxvilletickets.com.

2) How much does it cost to attend the festival?

There is no charge for entry to Children's Adventure Land or the Arts and Crafts area along Broadway Avenue. Tickets are required only for access to the concert area -- Theater in the Park, adjacent to the Blount County Courthouse.

3) I got my tickets in the mail, and they look different from the ones my neighbor received through an in-person purchase. What do I do?

"Some people will get tickets in the mail that look different from the three-day passes," Groff said. "We will exchange that ticket for one of our three-day passes at the gate."

4) Can I come and go from the concert area once I've passed the gate?

"We exchange ticket stubs for wrist bands for that particular day," Groff said. "That gets you in and out of Theater in the Park, so you can go visit other areas of the festival without having to worry about keeping up with your ticket stubs."

5) I have reserved seating -- do I need to bring my own chair?

"We will provide chairs for reserved seating, but those patrons need to keep their ticket stubs -- the stubs are their passes into reserved seating sections," she said.

6) What about general admission -- can I bring my own chair? What else can I bring?

"You can bring a chair, as long as they don't have a footrest and they're not oversized, giant chairs," Groff said. "We don't allow umbrellas; we recommend bringing a poncho. No coolers are allowed inside the concert area."

7) I don't have reserved seating, so can I stake out a spot in the general admission area and claim it with a chair while I visit other parts of the festival?

"If you get in line the day of the show -- and people will start lining up at 3 and 4 in the morning -- you can get into the theater when the gates open, set your chairs down and go enjoy the rest of the festival," Groff said. "However, the city is not responsible if your chair is taken or moved, so we suggest someone from your party staying with them."

8) Will alcohol be sold at the festival? Where can I smoke?

"We do not sell beer on city property, although other businesses in downtown will be selling alcohol within their establishments," Groff said. "There are two designated smoking areas within Theater in the Park, as we ask all guests who smoke to go to those areas -- one near the footbridge and the pedestrian tunnel on the Court Street side, and the other near the command post area."

9) Is the concert area handicap-accessible?

"We will have buses dropping those who have mobility impairments off at gates that are wheelchair accessible," she said. "Patrons can park at Foothills Mall and use the free shuttle service, which will take them where they need to be within the festival area. They can use those buses to enter the theater area at the disability access gate, which is across from the pavilion off of the Blount County parking lot."

10) I want to meet one of the performers and get an autograph. How can I get backstage?

"Sometimes, artists have fan clubs that you can join, and those artists will do meet-and-greet with members of the public who are also members of their fan clubs," she said. "That's up to each individual artist, however -- not all of them do that. That's the only way you can get backstage to meet the performers, however. I would suggest anyone who's interested in getting anything signed or in meeting any of the artists to check into their fan club web sites."