The North Country Arts Council has further tweaked the opening of its annual Fall Arts Show to include food and music.

Last fall, the council opened its annual show with a reception at the Dulles State Office Building to coincide with Watertown Lyric Theater’s production of “Meet Me in St. Louis.” During intermission at one show, patrons could go into the lobby and view the artwork and get refreshments at a cash bar.

This year, the opening reception of the 64th annual show has a name: “Arts. Beats. Eats.” It’s from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St. It also comes with a price to benefit the arts council.

Tickets for “Arts. Beats. Eats.” are $10, but $8 if combined with a ticket for Watertown Lyric Theater’s “The Sound of Music,” which will be staged at 7 p.m. Nov. 1 through 3, with and an additional performance at 1 p.m. Nov. 3.

People who purchase a “Sound of Music” ticket also can get $2 off admission price for the musical if combined with a ticket for the art show opening.

Tickets for the musical, without the “bundle discount,” are $15 for adults, $12 for students, seniors and military members and $10 for children 12 and under.

Hope A. Marshall, co-chairwoman of the Fall Arts Show, said last year’s combined event with Lyric Theater worked well.

“It was a great response,” she said. “It was a good pairing.”

The art show’s opening reception will be catered by Farmhouse Kitchen, Sackets Harbor, which will provide appetizers. The cash bar will return.

Live entertainment will be provided by the area trio Ferguson, Taylor and Rogers. Paul Ferguson sings lead and doubles on lead and rhythm guitar, D.J. Rogers is drummer and vocalist and Andy Taylor plays guitar and several other instruments.

The band plays a variety of music, including country, bluegrass and pop tunes ranging from Wilson Pickett’s “634-5789” to Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5.”

The arts show runs daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Nov. 17 in the lobby of the Dulles State Office Building. It will be closed on Nov. 11, Veterans Day. About 200 works of art have been entered.

There are six categories: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, mixed media and jewelry.

The jewelry category is new this year.

“Our criteria is the material is 85 percent made by the artist; handcrafted by scratch,” Ms. Marshall said.

This year’s judges are John Elwood Cooke, Wellesley Island; Kasarian Dane, an associate professor at St. Lawrence University, and M. Vici Diehl of Antwerp.

There are three invitational artists this year: painter Rhonda Hall-Allen, co-owner of Allen’s Florist and Pottery Shop in Watertown; painter and sculptor Michael Ringer of Alexandria Bay, and sculptor William Salisbury of the hamlet of Omar in the town of Orleans.

Ms. Marshall said that under a new arrangement, 85 percent of the art on display at the show will be available as prints through Focal Point Custom Framing of Watertown.

The show also will feature artwork by school students in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

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