New Look at Old Deerfield

I stopped at the Old Deerfield Summer Craft Fair and it's taken on a new look.  I don't see Yankee Candle mentioned in their ads nor on their website.  And there was no Yankee Candle presence that I could see at the show.  It appears that Ford is now the new sponsor of this series of craft fairs and they are not shy.  Maybe men will be more inclined to attend if there are trucks to shop for.

Things looked better this June compared to 2011.  If you look at last year's review the organizers filled space with a local Gutter Guard dealer.  I didn't see him this year.  Empty space normally filled with craft booths was taken up by a dinosaur exhibit (artisans were encouraged to create something with a dinosaur theme) and a large area with children's activities.  Traffic on Saturday was better than last year and I noticed people buying.  There were several bead jewelry vendors selling lower priced pieces and their booths were filled.  Sha Sha Beads in particular had lots of buyers for her gemstone strand bracelets at $20.  She makes wonderfully unique wire wrapped pendants at very affordable prices but the mass produced bracelets were getting more attention when I stopped in.

I bought some jam from Dondero Orchards who came up from South Glastonbury, CT.  They had some wonderful combinations of fruit like blueberries and rhubarb that tasted great.  They also offered homemade prize winning pies.

While there were several bead jewelers, the fair also included a couple of higher end artisans. The Green Gem Co. had a booth selling their green fluorite gemstones and finished jewelry, and Chris Lann, a silversmith was there from Brattleboro, VT.  Chris Lann has taken handmade to a whole new level.  He was demonstrating how he hand knits fine wire chains.  This in itself is a long, detailed process to create an 18" chain.  But I also learned that he's particular about the type of sterling silver he uses and wire is not available with that particular alloy. So he also makes his own very fine (maybe 26 gauge or less) wire.  He truly starts from scratch.  And his designs are beautiful.

Yellow school buses still shuttle people from Channing Bete and Yankee Candle headquarters.  The food tent, as always, was packed.  The double fried french fries were probably the most popular item.

Vendors can see more info on this show at: http://jansjems.blogspot.com/p/arts-and-crafts-show-reviews-2012-june.html