My favorite arts festivals tend to be small and willing to schedule offbeat, eccentric, and experimental artists alongside mainstream fare. Years ago, Bumbershoot took such risks avidly, but now spotting their slender crop of interesting and unusual acts amid acres of conventional performers is a chore. Am I the only one tired of tramping hither and yon with roving herds to scattered venues christened by corporate sponsors?

Now in its third year, the Arts-in-Nature Festival offers a generous helping of conventional and unconventional music, dance, and visual art. The rustic setting (dirt paths and more trees than you can count) of West Seattle's venerable Camp Long makes walking through this festival a treat. Jazz, folk, classical, choral, improvised, and experimental music are presented in four locations: at the Lodge, at the Outdoor Stage, by the pond, and atop the Glacier. Keep an eye open for wandering performers who tend to sprout out of nowhere: Last year, I saw Butoh dancers frozen across the central field, and heard mischievous musicians honking and hooting in the woods.

Those with adventurous ears should investigate the festival's Museum of Sound, a series of installations by sound artists, instrument makers, and musicians. Some installations encourage the public to play unusual musical instruments: Steve Barsotti's String Cabin and the Thaddeus Claviorganum of Troy Swanson and Jason Puccinelli feature home-built contraptions. Others, such as the Listening Sanctuary and Bermuda Ranch House in Mt. Baker Cabin with small frog chorus, prompt careful, delicate listening and remind us that the natural world can make music, too. CHRISTOPHER DeLAURENTI

The Arts-in-Nature Festival is Sat Aug 17 (10 am-7 pm) and Sun Aug 18 (10 am-6 pm) at Camp Long, 5200 35th Ave SW at SW Dawson St in winsome West Seattle, visit www.naturec.org for directions and a full schedule, $5 suggested donation.

chris@delaurenti.net