Clothesline Fair to feature handcrafted items, entertainment
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2008
BROOKE McNEELY Northwest Arkansas Times Curt Farhat marks the front of the Arts Center of the Ozarks tent Wednesday in preparation of Prairie Grove’s Clothesline Fair at the town’s battlefield park. The fair starts Saturday morning and will feature arts and crafts, food and entertainment.
Part of Jennifer Pease's job is to ensure handmade wares are featured at the arts and crafts show during the Clothesline Fair in Prairie Grove.
"The thing that makes it unique is its all handcrafted items," she said of the Clothesline Fair arts and crafts show, which features artisans selling, displaying and demonstrating their handmade crafts.
That means people - the ones selling the items - using old, traditional methods, creating handcrafted items "of a certain quality "where time has been spent, said Pease, visual arts director of the Arts Center of the Ozarks, which has been one of the sponsors of the Clothesline Fair for 42 years.
Prairie Grove Lions Club and Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park also sponsor the festival, which has become an area institution.
The arts and crafts that get to be part of the show also should have good craftsmanship and "some aesthetic appeal," Pease said.
She also tries to make sure there is variety.
The arts and crafts fair gets underway Saturday and will continue Sunday and Monday. Hours are 8: 30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 8: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday.
There are some new exhibitors this year, Pease said.
One of them is Mike Golden, who is from Lake Village and makes what is termed the "original record album purse."
Another feature this year will be Mike Wisdom, who owns Wisdom's Clock Shop in West Fork. He makes handmade clocks.
"He's been making clocks for many years," Pease said.
Pease said Wednesday that she was still counting the number of exhibitors planned for the event. She estimates about 150 exhibitors so far.
Until she knows there is not an empty spot left in Battlefield State Park, she said, she will leave it open.
The true deadline for entries was July 4, but Pease took over her position in July.
"There was just going to have to be an allowance made," she said.
A sluggish economy has had its affect on the show, so far, too.
"I've had a few people that I've contacted that are from the outer regional area. They decided not to come this year due to the travel expense," Pease said.
These are people largely based out of Oklahoma, Tennessee and Missouri, she said, adding that there are still people from those areas involved in the show this year.
She said there is an upside to some of these exhibitors not attending.
"It's allowed for space for a lot of new people to contact me and to get them in after I've juried the work," she said.
In fact, she said, it allowed space for Golden and Wisdom.
"So it's sort of a curse and a blessing, I guess," Pease said.
The Clothesline Fair also will feature musical entertainment, square dancing, displays of antique farming equipment and history houses that will be open for viewing.
The Prairie Grove Lions Club and other nonprofit groups will operate concession stands in the Battlefield State Park throughout the three-day festival.
There will be a 5 K run and a one-mile Yankee dash starting at 7: 30 a.m. Saturday with awards for overall male and female runners and different age divisions.
New this year is a ham radio broadcast tent with broadcasting from 8: 30 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Saturday through Monday, sponsored by Joe Dunn.
A parade through downtown Prairie Grove sponsored by the Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce starts at the Prairie Grove Public Library at 9 a.m. Saturday. It ends in Battlefield State Park.
Following the parade, there will be a martial arts demonstration at the playground area from 10: 30-11: 30 a.m.
There will be free entertainment at the bandstand with a variety of performers from country, pop and gospel music from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday.
Gospel music is the featured program starting at 1 p.m. Sunday, featuring Born Again and several other groups from the surrounding communities.
At 3: 30 p.m. Saturday is an evening of square dancing exhibitions with children ages 4 and older showing their skills. Older children will dance at 7 p.m. in the amphitheater at Battlefield State Park.
Everyone will dance again on Monday, beginning at 3: 30 p. m., with the competition beginning at 7 p.m.
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