As summer starts to fade away and the days get shorter, the autumn season is just on the doorstep. With autumn comes football, cool nights, beautiful colors, and the 33rd annual Art & Craft Show at the State Fair Event Center.
With close to 100 booths and almost two dozen newcomers, this year’s show is gearing up to be a fabulous shopping opportunity just in time for the holidays. The event will feature a variety of handcrafted merchandise including jewelry, woodworking, primitive, clothing, ornaments, floral arrangements, paintings, candles, trees, needlepoint, pottery, and much, much more.
Artisans from the surrounding community, as well as those from many areas in West Virginia, will be represented. To date, Greenbrier County artisans who will showcase merchandise include those from Crawley, Frankford, Ronceverte, Caldwell, Maxwelton, Rainelle, Lewisburg, Rupert, Alderson, Renick and White Sulphur Springs. The towns of Sinks Grove, Greenville, Second Creek and Union will represent Monroe County artisans with handcrafted goods. Artisans from Craigsville, Fenwick and Summersville, in Nicholas County will feature an assortment of merchandise. Pocahontas County will bring talented craftspeople from Hillsboro and Marlinton, and artisans from the towns of Pipestem and Forest Hill, in Summers County, will be represented. The handiwork of craftspeople from Raleigh County will include those who hail from Bolt, Sophia, Coal City, Glen Morgan and Beckley. Handcrafted merchandise will be showcased by artisans from the towns of Hurricane and Scott Depot in Putnam County, as well as those from Hico and Meadow Bridge, in Fayette County. Rio, in Hampshire County, and Buckhannon, in Upshur County, is home to artisans who are two of the newcomers to the show. Handcrafts from St. Albans, in Kanawha County, and Wyoming County’s Rio will also be featured.
The show, which will be held in the West Virginia Building, will include handcrafted merchandise from beyond the borders of West Virginia. Artisans from Virginia, including the towns of Hot Springs, Newport, Covington, Narrows, Roanoke and New Castle will exhibit their craftsmanship. The state of Florida is home to another artisan traveling from Tampa, with more talent coming from Elkin and Millers Creek in North Carolina.
In addition to the many crafts featured at the show, mouth-watering homemade sweets and treats will be available. Apple butter, made the old-fashioned way over on open fire and canned prior to the event, will be available in pints and quarts. A food court will provide an opportunity for a meal to be eaten on site or will be available for carry out.
Door prizes, donated by participating artisans, will be given away throughout the three-day event which is scheduled for Oct. 11-13. Hours for Friday and Saturday are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday’s hours are 12 noon to 4 p.m.
The Lewisburg-Fairlea Food Locker will be on site to collect the optional admission donations. In lieu of an admission fee, monetary donations can be made to the food locker. In addition, the food locker will also collect non-perishable food items. The food locker is a nonprofit organization based at Old Stone Presbyterian Church in Lewisburg. With help and donations from individuals and organizations, the food locker is able to provide food assistance to individuals and families in the local community.
Proceeds from the Art & Craft show will benefit the Edgewood Presbyterian Church Scholarship Fund, the Lewisburg-Fairlea Food Locker and the Edgewood Presbyterian Church Growth and Improvement Fund.
