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Augusta congratulates juried artisans

ELKINS — The Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College has announced the acceptance of more than 30 vendors who will participate in the annual Augusta Festival Craft Fair on Aug. 12. Additional applications for artists wishing to participate will be accepted for all categories until March 15.

The Craft Fair is part of the Augusta Festival, a two-day celebration that culminates Augusta’s five-week heritage arts workshop series. The festivities on Aug. 12 in Elkins City Park also include live music, children’s activities, workshops and demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Augusta Festival began almost 45 years ago and annually attracts approximately 4,000 visitors from the local area and around the world. The juried artists, mostly from West Virginia, provide a wide variety of traditional crafts.

Artists and food vendors who wish to apply for the Craft Fair may visit augustaheritagecenter.org/augusta-festival/vendors, call the Augusta Office at 304-637-1209 or email augusta@augustaheritagecenter.org for more information.

Artists were selected for their skill, creativity and use of traditional craft techniques.

Functional and well-crafted pottery has always been a festival staple. Potters this year include Scottie Roberts Wiest with Sand Rock Studio, Elisa Dasher from Honeysuckle Pottery, Mindy Bowman of Muddy Mindi and John Ackison of Gauley River Pottery.

Woodworking of many kinds will also be featured at the festival, including Pleasant Valley Woodcrafts with wooden baskets and rolling pins, and Weese WoodGems with sculptural turned vessels.

Beautiful decorative items have been selected for inclusion. Naturally Yours includes carved and woven gourds by Susan Nonn. Vendors in the Two-Dimensional Art classification are Eddie Spaghetti Art’s woodcut printmaking and Questionable Press by Sarah Brown. New to the festival this year are justAjar Design Press with letterpress posters and Mitchel de la Garza with oil paintings. Kevin Stitzinger will return this year with his hand-carved stone sculptures.

The Soaps and Botanicals classification includes handmade soaps, salves and candles by Appalachian Milk Soap, Anderson Hollow and Brookstone Soaps.

Jewelry is a strong category, with each craftsperson bringing a different style of wearable art. Jewelers selected are Connie McColley Handmade Jewelry, Cree Lahti Ceramics clay jewelry, Feather Stein Art Studio, Moondance Art Jewelry, Soulfully Salvaged Paper Art paper beads and Mystical Crystal Jewelry.

Tanner Leather Works will return this year, as well as scarves by BABKA with wearable art. Little Levels Homespun Treasures will join the festival with their fabric artwork.

For music-lovers, the festival will include free live music as well as instruments for sale. Smakula Fretted Instruments will return this year with a large variety of vintage instruments while Mastertone Dulcimers and Robert Rose Guitars will showcase their handmade instruments.

Appalachian Mountain Books will bring their wide variety of regional books and Cool Hollow Maple Farm will return with their West Virginia maple syrup.

Craft demonstrations are a major focus of the festival again this year, with Mountain Weavers’ Guild, Log Cabin Quilters’ Guild and Alan Miller with white oak basketry scheduled to participate. More demonstrations will be announced.

Some food vendors selected are Elkins Rotary Club’s famous barbecue chicken and Old Goat Kettle Corn with more to be announced in the future.

Food vendors wishing to participate are encouraged to contact the Augusta Office at 304-637-1209 or augusta@augustaheritagecenter.org.

Programs offered by the Augusta Heritage Center of Davis & Elkins College are presented with financial support from the WV Division of Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

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