It was a beautiful day Saturday afternoon as art lovers wandered around vendors’ tents gazing at the many creative items for sale at the 44th Delaware Arts Festival.
According to festival officials, the event draws approximately 10,000 people downtown each May.
Dorothy Clutter said she and her husband, Jack, own Clutter Baskets and Caning. She said they had been regulars to the festival in the past but took a break for a while. Last year was their first year back.
Clutter said she remembered last year’s festival’s weather, the cold, the rain and the tents being blown over by the wind. She was enjoying this year’s weather with the partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.
“Keep it coming just like this,” she said. Because of the bad weather in the past they quit coming for a few years.
Clutter said the Delaware Arts Festival is one of eight festivals they attended last year.
Some brightly colored glass flowers drew the attention of Shannon Self and her son, Mason.
Self , who lives in Marion, has been coming for the past six years. She said this was the first year she didn’t work at the festival.
Self works at the Delaware County Health District and has worked the booth in previous years.
“I showed up because I wanted to this year,” she said.
Christina Gamble is a vendor from Powell who paints watercolor landscapes. She wasn’t sure how long she has been coming to the festival.
“It might be 10 years,” she said. “Maybe closer to 20 years though.”
Gamble said she likes to paint and selling her watercolor paintings helps pay for the hobby. She said her paintings come from photos she and her husband take while vacationing.
Gamble said sales are getting better. “Last year I made more at this show than my other shows.”
On the streets were musicians with their instrument cases open for patrons to throw in some change or a few dollars in appreciation of the entertainment.
Carson Geisseler played the violin while his high school friend, Mason Mann, played an old accordion that was his grandfather’s.
“We play where ever we can,” said Geissler.
Many took the opportunity to try some of the specialty cuisine from local restaurants.
However, behind the PNC Bank building tables were set up for people to sit and enjoy the food trucks’ snacks. The parking lot stayed busy with visitors sampling sausage sandwiches, blooming onions, lemon-aid shakes and funnel cakes.
The two-day event concluded Sunday.
The crowd was steady as the morning rains subsided, organizers reported. A few minor tweaks to the schedule were made but overall it was a good day. Magic Nate had a large and enthusiastic crowd of youngsters and adults for his performance.
