Arts and Crafts Fair

This weekend was the big "Arts and Crafts Fair" in Little Falls. This was the 36th year of this annual event that brings in hundreds of crafters and thousands of visitors. This year there were over 650 vendors although in the past there's been as many as just over a thousand! People are bused in from all over and many of the city parks and private owner's yards are turned into temporary parking lots to help accommodate the over 100,000 people that flock to Little Falls.

In the 8 years that I've lived here I've discovered that residents here fall into a few main categories: 1) those that love the fair and check out as many booths as possible, 2) those that see the event as a way to bring in money into the community or even there own pockets if they live close enough to rent out there lawn space and 3) those that hate all things associated with the weekend and leave dodge in order to have to see any part of it.

I fall into category 4--I don't make my schedule around it, will go and look around, inevitably coming home a few goodies each time I go. I also have discovered that many people who live close to the action get calls from family and friends around this time of year. My neighbor had cars right on our property line the night before the event and had the street blocked off in front of their yard. They did so with a rope tied between a charcoil grill and a 6 ft ladder. Goofy (and probably illegal!)

This year I made my pilgrimage downtown and came home with a few goodies: two christmas gifts, a birthday gift, a stake for our garden and a stoneware sqare platter. I tend to lean towards pottery and stoneware and find this nice momentos of fairs attended or vacations taken. In May I purchased beautiful goblets in Sedona which I know I paid too much for, but decided it was worth it for sentimental reasons. Today as I walked the arts and crafts fair I saw some other goblets and I told myself they may be cheaper, but they're not as special as my Sedona treasures. So my reality for today is...there's a fine line between art and crafts and the difference is the sentimental value you place on it.


W: about 5 miles ? C: leisurely pace