Holiday Craft Blast planned
Bonnie Hagyari will demonstrate how she makes her creatures out of polymer clay at the Holiday Craft Blast Sunday at the Greene County Fairgrounds
David Shough of Morgantown, W.Va., will be at the Holiday Craft Blast Sunday with his turned and cut woodwork.
WAYNESBURG – The seventh annual Holiday Craft Blast will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Greene County Fairgrounds – a different day and time than in the past, but still the show shoppers look forward to for homemade holiday giving.
“We couldn’t book the fairgrounds for Saturday, so we’ve moved it to Sunday, and we changed the hours so that people can come after church and shop all afternoon,” organizer Jeanne Stacher said. “I’ve been helping organize this since the beginning, and it’s wonderful that this many artists join us year after year. Our customers come to buy presents that are unique – pottery, woodwork, jewelry, soaps, jellies, everything handmade. Plus you get to meet the artists and ask them questions about what they do.”
New Craft Blast artist Bonnie Hagyari will be there to show how she creates her award-winning sculptures.
“I started working with polymer clay in 2003 and I love it,” Hagyari said. “Fantasy characters are my favorite. I can let my imagination soar and become a child again. Lots of love goes into each piece and I love to see people smile when they see my sculpts.”
Elves, fairies and hobbit-like creatures, both large and small, will be with her at the Artbeat Gallery table Sunday when she demonstrates how to shape and layer the beautifully colored patterns that turn into scales, textures and elaborate costumes for her cast of characters.
“We have more than 60 vendors this year and it’s great to be back at the fairgrounds. It has great parking, is easy to find and is a fun place to be – you never know when you’ll see someone trotting their harness horse around the track,” Stacher said. “Every year we get new works and I’m excited that David Shough is back with his woodwork.He hasn’t been at the craft blast since the first year.”
Shough, a retired miner who lives near Morgantown, W.Va., grew up in Jollytown and graduated from West Greene High School in 1965. Twenty years ago he began working with wood and the hobby soon became a fine craft that turned slabs of wood into bowls, boxes, ornaments and implements – pens, wine stoppers, ice cream scoops, even wooden acorns tucked into real oak acorn shells.
“It’s more a winter project and I like doing turnings the best,” Shough said. His work is turned on the lathe and cut with a band saw and made from maple, cherry walnut, elm and oak. This year’s new wood is osage orange and Shough will have a few small pieces for the show.
The 4-H building and one of the two main buildings will have their halls decked and tables filled with crafts and good food for lunch, including at least six homemade soups, hot and ready to eat.
The Nathanael Greene Foundation sponsors this annual holiday sale to promote local artisans and sells homemade soups and sandwiches to hungry shoppers as a fundraiser for their nonprofit organization. This year’s selection of at least six homemade soups by members and friends includes white chili with chicken and potato soup, a perennial crowd pleaser and sure to be the first to run out.