‘Something for everyone’ at 48th annual Old Deerfield Fall Arts and Crafts Festival
Published: 09-17-2024 10:12 AM |
DEERFIELD — With the 48th annual Old Deerfield Fall Arts and Crafts Festival set for Sept. 21 and 22, the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association is welcoming folks for a weekend of shopping and family fun.
The annual fair, celebrating Deerfield’s 19th- and 20th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, will include more than 100 vendors of all kinds.
The event begins on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and runs through Sunday, Sept. 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Memorial Hall Museum, 8 Memorial St. Admission is $7 for adults and free for children 12 and under. Free craft activities for kids will be available.
“It’s a lot of fun for the whole family and it is a fundraiser as well,” said PVMA Event Co-Coordinator Jennifer Fay Smith, noting that proceeds benefit educational programming at the museum. “There’s a little bit of something for everyone.”
Tickets also include admission to Memorial Hall Museum, which will allow visitors to visit the eastern European immigrant-themed “New Roots in River Banks” exhibition, as well as the “Barbie — All Dolled Up in Deerfield” exhibit.
Offerings at the craft festival fit nearly any category shoppers could be looking for, with vendors selling jewelry, clothing, pottery, accessories, photography, quilts and more. There will also be two food vendors offering Filipino and American food.
“Deerfield has been associated with the crafts movement for 120 years and the Old Deerfield Craft Fair has kept the tradition alive for the last 48,” said PVMA Executive Director Tim Neumann. “We’re happy to continue the tradition.”
Among new vendors, Fay Smith highlighted the arrival of Kitunga Fashion, which offers handwoven Congolese baskets made by Patrice Lumumba. Baskets, Fay Smith said, have been an often-requested product at the festival in recent years. She also highlighted woodworker Jeff Nelson and Hudson River Inlay, as well as Mary Walsh-Martel, who runs the watercolor studio Shire Arts.
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“There’s something in every price range,” she said. “It’s bringing a lot of people together in one place to get high-quality things that will last you a lifetime.”
Attendees are asked to park at Yankee Candle’s corporate headquarters, located at 16 Yankee Candle Way. Parking is free, and a shuttle bus will take folks to and from PVMA. There is no parking on Memorial Street during the festival, although handicapped parking will be available at the intersection of Memorial and Old Main streets. The Deerfield Police Department will assist in directing traffic.
The 48th Old Deerfield Fall Arts and Crafts Festival will be held rain or shine. For more information about the event, visit its website at bit.ly/47vBGNP or its Facebook page at facebook.com/olddeerfieldcraftfairs. Folks can claim a reduced-admission coupon on the craft fair’s website.
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.