Country Folk Art featured at Fairgrounds
2010-02-03
The New York State Fairgrounds will showcase affordable, hand-made creations from approximately 100 artisans and craftspeople during the Country Folk Art Craft Show, which begins its three-day run in the Toyota Exhibit Center on Friday, Feb. 5.
About half of the vendors are from New York State. Most of them are selling products that they made themselves, giving customers an opportunity to speak directly with the artist or order custom pieces.
"We are proud to support the entrepreneurial spirit of these artists by giving them both a showcase for the unique items they produce, and a convenient venue to help them reach customers," New York State Fair Director Dan O'Hara said. "Visitors to the show will find items at the Fairgrounds this weekend that aren't available anywhere else."
Those items have price tags ranging from just a few dollars to several thousand dollars, making one-of-a-kind pieces affordable for just about any household budget, said Keith Blakely, the show's co-owner. Special efforts have been made to encourage booths operated by the artists themselves, Blakely said.
The theme for the show is "Home Décor and More." Thousands of creative decorating elements will be on display, including hand-crafted furniture, holiday décor, textiles, framed art, quilts, floral decorations, iron work, garden art, candles and much more.
The event will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6; and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7.
Admission is $6 for adults and seniors, and $2 for children younger than 12. Children younger than 5 will be admitted free.
More information is available on the Country Folk Art Web Site, www.countryfolkart.com.
The show is one of the more than 500 non-Fair events held at the Fairgrounds during the course of the year.
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