Virginia Vacation Pt.2

A craft show, a garlic festival, and apple picking.  Just like home.

But in Virginia, they do it bigger.  The craft show was the Crozet Arts and Crafts Fall Festival.  This is a higher end craft show with a lot of regional artisans.  I had applied to this show a couple of years ago but didn't get accepted.  Now I know why.  This show is established with about 135 booths set up in 3 barn-like buildings and a very large tent on the grounds of Claudius Park.   The pottery we saw was unique, like Tom Clarkson's, and the colors unusual--reds, for instance.  Jewelry, even what might be considered strung beads, had a different twist, some unique findings, or dichroic glass made to look like flowing water.

 I stopped to see Mark Van de Bogart, a metalsmith I had met when doing a show in Rhode Island.  It was nice to see him again and knowing he'd be there,  I brought some gemstones for him to set.  His designs are truly "out of the box."  I can't wait to see the pendant he creates for me.

Unlike some local shows here in Wmass, Crozet isn't hurting for vendors or traffic.

On Sunday we decided to get some apples at a place called Carter Mountain.  This has one of the area's largest apple orchards and is a very popular destination.  Thinking it might be like Atkins, we drove to what is located high up on land adjacent to Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.  Traffic was so heavy it took us 40 minutes to crawl to the top. And this was NOT Atkins. They not only have the largest orchards I've ever seen but vineyards that go on forever.  Easily hundreds of cars were parked in the fields near the apple barns.

I guess in Viginia they too have to sometimes state the obvious--

We debated about whether or not to go to what we thought was a garlic festival.  It was farther away and cost $25 to get in.  But I'm glad we went as it was actually a WINE and garlic festival and $25 bought you a glass that you took with you from booth to booth for tasting.  Like the festival in Orange, MA, this one takes place in a  large field, among some old grapevines that aren't producing right now.  From the field where we parked (not as steep as those in Orange) we were herded through the old vineyard.

Lots of craft booths, local food, bottled sauces, and jellies are mixed in with a few booths selling a variety of garlic and several booths belonging to local wineries, a farm that produces hard cider, and a couple of booths selling mead.  To give you some sense of the size of this festival, among the maze of rows running through fields and wooded areas, there were 4 stages for music all playing at the same time.

I found some nice Riesling and a pumpkin spiced mead that was wonderful.  But as I wasn't checking any luggage, I couldn't take them home on the plane.