A day honoring Bob Ross at The Vault Arts Gallery

A group of Bob Ross lookalikes will be creating “happy little trees” and more from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at a Halloween event at the Vault Art Gallery in downtown Tuscola.

The gallery will be hosting a “Bob Ross Lookalike Contest,” which centers on the late artist and longtime host of the PBS show “The Joy of Painting.” There will be a $25 gift certificate for the person who most resembles Ross. The contest is open to adults and children and there is no limit in the number of participants.

A related event will be a Bob Ross painting contest, to see who can most paint like the artist, who was known for his realistic paintings and quotes like “happy little trees” and “let’s build a happy little cloud,” and as a result has become a cult figure thanks to his soothing style of teaching. The painting contest will take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, after the lookalike contest finishes up.

The Vault will provide 11 X 14 inch canvases, but those who want to enter must bring their own paints, brushes and other supplies. Painting while in costume as Bob Ross is optional. There will be only 14 spots available for the painting competition. The winner will also receive a $25 gift certificate to the Vault.

To kick off the day’s events, artist Barbara Hicks from 1 to 2 p.m. will be teaching pumpkin painting, using small white pumpkins as a creative round canvas. The cost of the class is $15 to paint one pumpkin and $3 additional to paint a second pumpkin. Class size is limited to 12 students.

For more information, email the Vault at thevaultarts@gmail.com or call 217-722-2187. Please pay and register for the events no later than Friday, Oct. 25.