On paper, the Kings Mountain Art Fair shares a lot of attributes with many other Bay Area art and street festivals.

There are tents and booths, filled with vendors showing off their wares. There is a simple and hearty food and drink selection, including cheeseburgers, hot dogs, nachos and beer.

And the proceeds support a good cause; in this case, the local volunteer fire department and an elementary school.

But in its 55th year, the fair’s location among the redwood groves in the community of Woodside continued to be the biggest draw for visitors and vendors alike.

“It’s so beautiful,” Jane Kiskaddon, an artist from San Rafael at the fair, said of the setting.

She’s been showing off her acrylic paintings — featuring nature scapes with tall trees, lush vines and creeks, some hued with otherworldly blue and purple tones — for 26 years at this event.

“The whole vibe is so good,” she said. “This is the best show for artists and customers.”

Despite the narrow, serpentine mountain roadways that lead to the event, and the jockeying required to find a parking space along those same roads, people arrived in droves Sunday to experience the art, the food and of course, the trees.

“I don’t think you can beat this setting,” Sargam Atherton, of San Carlos, said while walking through the grounds with her husband, Evan.

The event draws thousands over the three-day Labor Day weekend, and serves as an annual community gathering for the locals.

Volunteer and former executive director of the fair, Dawn Neisser, said that’s part of the charm.

“What makes it so enduring is it’s such a unique location, and just the spirit of volunteerism, and the ambiance and enjoyment of the artists,” she said.

Roughly 400 volunteers put on the fair each year, with some key organizers working on it months in advance.

Alec Oswald, 23, grew up here volunteering each year, and was back Sunday after a few years away at college. He said he couldn’t have been happier to be helping out at the fair.

“As a kid, this was one of the most fun things to do,” he said. “The one time each year you get to see everyone.”

The event features 135 juried artists, many of whom said this is the best festival for their sales each year. Artist Sandy Tweed said she comes each year from Port Townsend, Washington, to sell her paintings, which are “all about critters, generally up close and personal.”

There are paintings, photographs, purses, jewelry, home accessories, walking sticks and even handmade brooms.

Melissa West, an artist from Watsonville who makes art by gouging and scraping images into linoleum blocks and then transferring them to paper with ink, said she loves displaying her work at the fair.

“It’s such a great setting; even if it’s really crowded, it feels mellow and chilled out,” she said.

This year’s show also highlights about two dozen local artists from the Kings Mountain community in unincorporated San Mateo County.

Daniel Bauer, of Sacramento, grew up on the Peninsula and returned to attend the fair Sunday. He captured the sentiments of many people spending part of their holiday weekend at the event.

“The best part of this whole, entire festival is being out in nature,” Bauer said.