45th Mountain Heritage Arts & Crafts Pageant returns to Jefferson County Fairgrounds | WDVM25 & DCW50

KEARNEYSVILLE, W. Va. (WDVM) — Just last thirty day period in August, the lined pavilions and buildings at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds were being whole of animals and exhibits. Now, they’ve been transformed into an art lover’s aspiration for the 45th Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival.

Heather McIntyre, the Govt Director of the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival, is overjoyed to welcome buyers and sellers back to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds just after the festival was not able to operate previous calendar year.

“We’re just grateful and thankful to most people that arrives to the festival to support support the vendors and artisans due to the fact of very last calendar year they could not have any festivals and it was incredibly challenging for them,” McIntyre claimed.

This year, about 130 sellers traveled from 13 states with artists coming from as significantly as California to closeby in the 4-condition space. Consumers can browse as a result of handmade home furniture to blown glass, as effectively as pottery, leather products, steel sculptures, and even scarves and wreathes. McIntyre claims there is a thing for absolutely everyone.

Kathy and Max Whitley have been distributors at the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Competition for practically 30 several years. Kathy makes and paints pottery though her partner fashions leather merchandise back again in their home point out of North Carolina. The pair sets up their booths upcoming to each individual other. Even though the artistic couple has produced the trip again to Kearneysville for nearly a few decades, they nonetheless look forward to the competition each calendar year.

“Well, it is the men and women! They arrive from D.C. and Baltimore, from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, all all-around just arrive up below for this pageant,” Max spelled out. “It’s obtained a good track record. It is a person of the leading 200 shows in the nation, a fantastic spot to see persons do the job on their craft.”

The Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Pageant features additional than just artists and their handmade creations. The pageant is also dwelling to the Gourmet Current market where by vendors supply a variety of products like roasted nuts, olive oils, and various sauces and spreads that can be applied in a myriad of strategies. Some vendors even allow consumers to sample their delicious offerings.

Erin Valasek, the proprietor and founder of Mountaineer Popcorn Company, was thrilled to carry her Shepherdstown storefront down to the fairgrounds. Neither Valasek nor her items had to travel considerably to get to the competition as the corn kernels made use of for her flavored popcorn are grown just a stone’s toss away from the fairgrounds at City and State Nursery in Kearneysville. Valasek hopes individuals will not forget about the Gourmand Market place this weekend as they are going for walks around the pageant.

“When people feel of the arts and crafts festival, they assume of all of the handmade goods, but we have the Connoisseur Marketplace much too,” Valasek defined. “There’s very hot cocoa beef jerky, sauces, sauces, it is a hit for persons to walk through the gourmand market.”

The Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Festival will also feature are living music and regional food stuff vehicles all over the pageant. A complete record of artists and suppliers can be located on the Mountain Heritage Arts and Crafts Pageant internet site.