From jokes to jazz and film to fine arts the Free State Festival that opens tonight is a celebration of creativity and community.

It’s more than an arts festival, although a broad spectrum of artistic endeavors will be featured throughout the five-day event. It also celebrates creative thinking and how creativity builds a sense of community in a place like Lawrence.

Thanks to a $150,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, organizers were able to vastly expand the festival’s offerings this year. The goal, they said, is to celebrate the unique elements of Lawrence that foster creativity and attract artists.

Back from last year is a competitive film festival featuring showings of a variety of films, including many produced by local adults and young people. The festival also is seeking to highlight the city’s history as a music destination. In two cases, festival events will pair films of performers — guitarist Johnny Winter and Grant Hart, former drummer and songwriter for the punk band Hüsker Dü — with live performances by those artists.

The festival also will celebrate creative thinking with panel discussions on technology, water issues and Kansas’ reputation for flatness. On Saturday, Tim Caboni, vice chancellor for public affairs at Kansas Unviersity, will moderate the “Lightning Round,” four hours of rapid-fire presentations by KU professors and Lawrence innovators on topics ranging from science fiction to climate change.

The full schedule and description of events — many of which are free — was featured in a special pull-out section in Sunday’s Journal-World and also is available online at www.freestatefestival.org.

Creativity is thought of primarily as driving visual and performing arts, but it also promotes energy and experimentation that can benefit the community in a variety of ways. It invites innovation not only in the arts, but also in business, government and other venues. A creative community is inviting to people with vision and new ideas.

Promoting and linking many kinds of community creativity is what the Free State Festival is all about. The schedule seems to include something that almost everyone would find interesting and perhaps a little thought-provoking. We hope many local residents take this opportunity to attend at least a few events and let their creative juices flow.