Starting Friday, October 13th through Sunday the 15th, about 4,000 locals and visitors alike will be found flipping through handmade crafts at the 37th Annual Art and Craft Show held at the West Virginia State Fairgrounds’ West Virginia Building, sponsored by the Edgewood Presbyterian Church.  You’ll enjoy crafts from 100 Virginia and West Virginia artisans and get to indulge in the food, apple butter, and bake sale. Doors are open from 9am-7pm Friday and Saturday, and 12pm-4pm on Sunday. There will also be door prizes everyday and a car show on Saturday from 10am-3pm.

Check out a variety of handcrafted merchandise such as Mann Made woodworking and Honey Orchard (see pages 26-27 for full feature)! A Touch of Grace Stained Glass Designs will also be attending with their stained glass designs including hearts, butterflies, Victorian, landscapes, art deco, geometric, holiday, and more! You can learn more about their work at facebook.com/atouchofgracestainedglassdesigns. The show also features a wide variety of jewelry, wreaths, primitives, stained glass, crochet & knitted items, watercolors, candles, tarts, bath and body products, slumped bottles, metal landscape flowers, up-cycled crafts, fabric items, books, framed paintings, wood crafts, hair bows, repurposed crafts, greeting cards, baskets, ornaments, wind chimes, musical instruments, carvings, watches, photography, trees, themed bird houses, intarsia, blacksmith knives, and florals.

Make sure you arrive with an appetite because there will be hot dogs, turkey and veggie wraps, barbeque, brown beans and corn muffins, baked potatoes, nachos (chili and cheese), sausage biscuits, and biscuits and gravy for breakfast.

For 37 years, folks have been stumbling upon the show and witnessing an evolution of creative displays. The Lewisburg Business and Professional Women’s organization started this special event in 1980. They were fueled by a passion for ensuring that young women in the area were able to access education. The initial shows were much smaller, but since moving to the fair grounds about 30 years ago, the show rapidly grew.  Eight years ago in 2009 the Women’s group determined that with changes in membership, they could no longer host the event. It was important to the ladies that the event continue and resume to help with education.  In this same year, Edgewood Presbyterian Church did a trial run by taking over the kitchen aspect of the show thereby adding a bake sale and apple butter. The next year Edgewood Presbyterian Church took over the entire show with guidance from members of the women’s organization.  For the first few years the organizations worked together to ensure the continued success of the show.  Through that time the women’s organization continue to access funds.

Event organizer, Joy Arbuckle, tells us, “Funds from the sale of vendor spots, baked goods, fried pies, and food support The Edgewood Presbyterian Church scholarship fund and The Edgewood Growth and improvement fund.” She also says they keep a certain amount of funds back to fund the following years advertising, etc.  They also choose 2 local charities to receive a tithe of the funds. This years recipients are Fruits of Labor and the Greg Carter Memorial Scholarship fund. They also sold t-shirts to the workers (Edgewood members, friends and family as well as vendors). These shirts will be available for the public and they write, “Hope Conquers All.” Proceeds from these t-shirt sales will benefit WV MAW (Ministry of Advocacy and work camps) to support their continued work camps for flood relief.

Don’t miss the 37th Annual Art & Craft Show this October! Not only does this event support our local charities, but it’s also an excellent way to expand awareness of the arts and enrich the artistic, cultural, educational, and economic vitality of the Greenbrier Valley! Parking and admission are both free. Follow this event at facebook.com/events/137605910190803/ or search “37th Annual Art and Craft Show.” See you there!

– HashtagWV #94. October 2017.