Craft fair draws crowds
Organizers hope for larger crowds during festival’s final dayBy WAYNE TOWNER, wtowner@newsandsentinel.com
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RIPLEY- As the 2009 Mountain State Art and Craft Fair enters its final day today, organizers are hoping to see record attendance if the weather is cooperative.
Robert Wines, vice president of the MSACF, said the Ripley-area fair started slow Thursday due to rain but was picking up Friday due to the cloudy and cool but dry weather.
"We've got a record crowd in here, it looks like," Wines said Friday afternoon. "We've got every parking spot parked full and we're recycling spots at this point. It's looking very well at mid-point in the fair."
In addition to more than 130 juried artisans demonstrating and selling their wares, this year's fair offers traditional Appalachian music, food, heritage exhibits and family activities. Ticket prices range from $6 for adults and $2 for children.
A pair of new attractions this year are a Farmers' Market and an interactive tent organized by the West Virginia Department of Education with hands-on craft activities from stained-glass making to broom making to basket making to chair weaving, Wines said.
"There's a lot of new and different things there, a lot of hands-on educational things to do. It's a great time to come down and learn something new, maybe something your grandfather or grandmother used to do as part of their everyday life," Wines said.
More than 600 people participated in the interactive activities Thursday.
Wines expects today's attendance to possibly reach record levels as well, weather permitting. In addition to the craft fair at Cedar Lakes, the city of Ripley will hold its downtown celebration for the Fourth of July from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. with entertainment - including West Virginia native and country star Kathy Mattea - and the traditional fireworks.
"We think we'll have a record crowd here (today), coming in and spending the day at the art and craft fair and then going downtown (Ripley) and taking in the activities and the concerts that they have downtown in the evening hours after we close," Wines said.
Parkersburg resident Michele Porta has been a crafter at the MSACF for three years as a glass bead maker, specializing in pendants, earrings and bracelets, her most popular item.
Porta became involved in the craft about five years ago and became juried for the Mountain State event two years later because she liked the quality of the fair and it was close to home for her. She has a college degree in chemistry and said glass always seems to hold a fascination for chemists, which brought about her interest in glass bead making.
Porta does about 22 craft shows each year and ranks the Ripley event at the top, primarily because of the people who come to the fair to shop and look around.
"The people here appreciate the work you put in and the quality," she said. "A lot of shows, people don't get that but they really get it here."
Huntington resident Sandy King has been to the fair several times in recent years, although she doesn't make it every year.
"I just love to see all of the things that people make; it's just amazing some of the things that they can come up with. I really enjoy looking at things," she said, adding her favorites are the jewelry items.
Travis and Misty Atkins of Charleston were making their first trip to the craft fair with their daughter Madison, age 3 1/2, who got her face painted as the first thing the family did Friday.
"She (Madison) was wanting to do something and we heard about it so we decided to come," Travis Atkins said of the family's decision to attend the craft fair. "It looks pretty interesting and we can't wait to see what's going on," he said.
Jason Lynch, with E.G. Bear Company of Sistersville, said he and his friends juried in the show seven years ago as a teddy bear-making company and have been coming back each year. They specialize in making bears and elephants and Lynch said "polka dotted elephants are in this year."
"It's been a great show for us for many years," he said of the MSACF.
Jake Krack, known to many area residents for his award-winning fiddle skills, said his family has been bringing its fiddle shop booth to the craft fair for 10 years.
"It's a good venue for West Virginia artisans and crafters to come and show just what West Virginia can do and what the people of the state should be proud of - their crafters and their talent," he said Friday.
Today's schedule of events and activities for the final day of the 2009 Mountain State Art and Craft Fair:
- 10 a.m.: West Virginia Department of Agriculture Bee Extraction Demonstration
- 10:30 a.m.: Special Guest Chef
- 11 a.m.: Appalachian Lads & Lassies on Heritage Stage; Firecracker Chili Cook-off and Cornbread Contest
- 11:30 a.m.: Mountaineer Wood Turners Demonstration
- Noon: WVDA Bee Extraction Demonstration
- 1 p.m.: Appalachian Lads & Lassies on Heritage Stage; Crafters Live Auction at Market Square Stage (benefits the Teresa Pauley Artisan Fund)
- 1:30 p.m.: Mountaineer Wood Turners Demonstration
- 2 p.m.: WVDA Bee Extraction Demonstration
- 3 p.m.: Appalachian Lads & Lassies on Heritage Stage
- 3:30 p.m.: Special Guest Chef; Mountaineer Wood Turners Demonstration
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weefooze
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07-05-09 2:40 PM
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Can anyone tell me if it costs the crafters anything to set up and sell their crafts?
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