Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Sept. 30-Oct. 2—MANCHESTER—The 28th Annual Manchester Fall Art and Craft Festival kicks off American Craft Week in Vermont. The festival will be held Sept. 30, Oct. 1-2 at the Practice Tee on Route 7A, a mile and a half north of the roundabout in downtown Manchester.
The Manchester show features 150 artists and artisans displaying and selling traditional and contemporary crafts and original art as well as a specialty food tent. While craft shopping, customers are delighted with culinary choices served by local restaurants and food trucks. The heated dining tent offers tables and chairs with a relaxed ambience. Vermont craft beers are served to accompany the luncheon plates. There will be live entertainment each day.
Besides savoring Vermont food and drink, there are many craft demos. They are informative as well as entertaining. Jeffrey Gale, of Strafford will showcase his traditional basket making skills all three days. His baskets are made of white ash trees. He pounds the wood until it is the desired thickness and then weaves each new piece until ultimately there is a basket. He is widely collected by private individuals and Museums including the Smithsonian.
Jonathan Woodward, a potter from Clinton, N.Y., will demo Raku pottery.
This year the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester will be there offering demos of fly tying to participants through any level of fly tying-from basic to advanced. Additionally, casting instruction will be presented, ranging from beginner lessons to a specific course that teaches the nuances of casting with classic bamboo and fiberglass rods. For the kids, there will be an interactive class tying clown flies.
As part of the American Craft Week celebration in Vermont, the Vermont Craft Council is planning its Fall Open Studio weekend on Oct. 1 and 2, as well as a second weekend over Columbus weekend, Oct. 8 and 9. Maps will be available at the Festival so craft show patrons may also visit those studios local to Manchester. For more details about the Open Studio Weekend, visit VermontCrafts.com.
Festival hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, Friday through Sunday. Adult admission is $10, children are free. The event is held rain or shine under tents. There will be plenty of free parking. No pets, please. Complete information is available at craftproducers.com.
