Last Saturday, Wally joined Ward and me when we went to the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Fair in neighboring West Virginia. I have a long history with arts and crafts fairs in WV. Since 1963, there has been a huge fair in the area I grew up in every 4th of July. The event lasts four days and has hundreds of juried artisans, music, craft demonstrations, and many different kinds of food. The biggest food draw is the grilled chicken and corn dinner by the FFA (Future Farmers of America). I have spent many hot days visiting that fair. So when I found out that not far from here, there was a fall version of the festival in Jefferson County, WV, I was excited.
The weather was pleasant, with temperatures in the 70s. Perfect for spending a day outside walking around. We wandered around from display to display (there were over 200 craftspeople), appreciating the amazing work some of these artisans were doing and taking notes from a few of them on things we might try in the future. My picture-taking was kind of random, but below are a few of the things we saw.
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Everything in this booth was made from gourds.
I have some gourds that a friend grew that I could use like this.
I took note of some of the designs. |
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| There were many artists with many different painting styles, along with some stunning photography. |
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| All of these candles were made from old bottles. |
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| These shawls were made from alpaca wool sheared from the crafter's herd. |
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| Chainsaw carving |
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| There were many woodworkers. I liked these measuring cups and spoons. |
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| These tables were made from old boxes and recycled parts. We have a couple of old wooden boxes that I am looking at differently now. |
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| These stuffed animals and puppets were a lot of fun. The person at this display has been every year since the fair started 46 years ago. She makes the trip up from Alabama. |
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| These leather workers have been in business since 1971, and I have gotten two purses from them over the years. I took advantage of my lifetime guarantee and took them one with a broken zipper to repair. I should get it back in a week. |
You may wonder if I bought anything. Well, yes, I did - a couple of Christmas presents. I don't think the recipients read here, but in case they do, I won't tell you what they are.
Now to get ready for our next adventure. Wally and Theo will be joining Ward and me for a little vacation to the Finger Lakes area of New York. It's been years since we've traveled together and I'm looking forward to it. I may report in during the trip or in a week or two when we get back.
Until next time...
