Four local musical acts delivered soulful performances to a packed Llywelyn’s Pub Wednesday night as they battled it out for a spot to perform at the Webster Groves’ 8th annual Art and Air festival, June 3-5.

The bands were finalists of Art and Air Idol, a competition that has been taking place weekly at Llywelyn’s this past month. Finalists were narrowed down from 12 local acts and included: Salt Of The Earth, Bella Kalei, Folk of Flight and Acid Grass Revival (two-thirds of The Matt Rowland Band).

Salt Of The Earth walked home with the honor of performing Saturday, June 4, at noon for festival goers. Music for the festival will kick off Friday evening at 6 p.m. with the 2010 Art & Air Idol winner, Rosewood. School groups and theater companies also will perform at the festival.

The free festival, operated by the Webster Community Arts Foundation, will take place at Eden Theological Seminary, across from Webster University, and feature the work of more than 110 juried artists from the U.S. and Canada. Artists will be showcased in one of 12 categories, from Acrylics/Oil to Mixed Media to Wood.

 Art & Air Studios is the fair’s all-ages art-making station, with many of the activities being free. The activities will provide a number of mediums in which to work, ranging from balloon animals to martial arts and Irish dance. For adults, there’ll be a Sip & Stroll on June 3 from 6 -10 p.m.

Additionally, there will be a variety of food vendors, including Highway 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen and Serendipity Ice Cream, as well as top-notch wine and beer. For $12, festival goers can buys four tastes of Robust wines. On June 4 from 6-9 p.m., Schlafly will feature specialty brews with its Tap Into Art event, $12 per taste or $30 for unlimited samples.

For more information on events and parking, visit Art and Air’s website.