A crafty idea
Artisans, crafters flock to September events in Hillsboro and Marion
Staff writer
Hillsboro’s 56th arts and crafts fair will bring throngs of people from across the nation to pack four blocks of downtown and find just the right things to take home.
The fair, scheduled for Sept. 20, is nationally recognized and typically brings about an estimated 40,000 shoppers to Hillsboro. It has been rated among the top 100 arts and crafts fair in the nation.
About 300 vendors, individually chosen after submitting photos of their work to judges, also come from across the nation.
After their work is selected by a committee of judges, they are invited to bring their handcrafted products to Hillsboro.
Among the things they offer are home décor, garden art, wood crafts, jewelry, gifts, bath and spa items, clothing, food, and baby and children’s goods.
Local food also is available. Food vendors will sell bierocks, ethnic Dutch-German food such as zwieback, Hillsboro’s famous smoked sausage, New Year’s cookies, and verenika. Other favorites include roasted almonds, kettle corn, freshly-squeezed lemonade, shaved ice, tater twisters, and funnel cakes.
Vendor applications for this year’s fair are due Aug. 1.
Musical performances also will liven up the arts and
crafts fair.
Marion
Marion’s 47th annual Art in the Park festival Sept. 20 and 21 typically brings an estimated 30,000 shoppers to Central Park.
Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 20th and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the 21st.
Art in the Park has not fully recovered since outdoor festivals were cut in 2020, Marion community engagement director Margo Yates said.
“It’s not as big since COVID,” she said.
Many vendors set up booths in both Hillsboro and Marion, and many sell their wares Saturday in Hillsboro, then come check out Art in the Park on Sunday.
“I’ve had vendors in the last few years who said they had a lot of sales on Sunday,” Yates said.
A basketball tournament keeps some locals away on Saturday, but they come to Art in the Park on Sunday.
Instead of taking applications for vendors, Yates scours lists of artisans and craftsmen online and invites them to Art in the Park.
“I probably have joined at least 15 social media pages that are about vendors,” she said. “I don’t like to repeat a lot of stuff, especially on food. Some crafters, if there are three or four, I’ll limit it.”
She still was sending out invitations last week.
“I probably sent 42 invitations to new vendors today,” she said Friday. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun.”
The food selection is different each day.
Art in the Park always offers something new and different, Yates said.
“I try to think of locals,” she said. “We brought in Helget Farms (in Lincolnville) with their beef sticks, and they were really popular.”
A man who sold duck calls at last year’s Art in the Park will return this year.
Some vendors also market their wares at Holly Jolly Christmas.
Yates has coordinated Art in the Park so long that she wants to find somebody to shadow her in the planning so she can fade into the background some day.
Heat sometimes is a problem.
“I remember one year I was directing traffic there at the park entrance and the bottoms of my shoes melted,” Yates said.