The first time Jennifer Geiger noticed the colorful canvas banners catching wind from downtown lampposts, it was long before she was executive director of Main Street Bath.

But Banners Over Bath is one of many local traditions she was happy to take under the group’s wings when she became director in 2009.

The annual custom of artist-designed banners that adorn the city streets in April was started by artist Susan Perrine around 2002, Geiger estimated.

“When I first saw it, before I worked at Main Street, I walked out of my office for lunch one afternoon and I looked around and said, ‘Wow, what’s this? Did Bath have an art attack?’,” Geiger said as she carefully placed the 2013 banners along the balcony of Chocolate Church Arts Center.

“One of those first banners I saw was of a lamb in a field with actual fleece, and it was so nice,” Geiger said.

The 2013 banners will hang above the theater throughout the weekend during Hot Chocolate Jubilee.

“It’s nice to collaborate with the Jubilee. The banners get an extra audience, it decorates the room a little bit and it’s a nice pairing. We try to coordinate with the Jubilee theme, so this year, the theme is ‘Play’ to go along with the Jubilee’s ‘Let the Good Times Roll,’” Geiger said.

She was joined in the dim afternoon light of the barely lit church Wednesday by her assistant, Samantha Ricker; Polly Goldman, chairwoman of Main Street’s Design Committee; and Art Gensky, a Main Street volunteer. Together, the group shuffled the banners, judging the best placement of each one based on color and subject.

“We didn’t do it last year because there wasn’t a Jubilee last year. We have to try to remember what we did,” Geiger said.

After the Jubilee, the banners will hang from street signs and lampposts on Front and Centre streets for the month of April.

Main Street used to hang them for March, as well, but the unpredictable late winter weather caused some to be damaged.

“Sometime next week, depending on the weather, we’ll hang them downtown,” Geiger said.

“This brings out the artist in people — not just the Artwalk artists — the artist in everyone,” Ricker said, threading a banner through the line from which it will hang over the weekend.

Participating in this year’s Banners Over Bath are 20 students from Morse High School and five students associated with Artvan, a mobile art therapy program, as well as local artists experienced and new.

Anyone can contribute a banner. All Main Street asks is a $20 fee to cover the costs of hanging it securely.

“We had an angel kick in the whole amount for the five Artvan kids,” Geiger said.

Ten Morse High School students were sponsored by an anonymous donor, as well.

“It’s nice to have before all the flowers come out,” Goldman said. “It helps the community spirit.”

For Ricker, it’s even simpler than that.

“It’s pretty,” she said.

rshelly@timesrecord.com