Published: October 05, 2008 11:09 am      

Craft vendors offer variety of goods

Among the hundreds of craft booths at the 34th annual Fair on the Square on Saturday, thousands of items from marionettes to handbags jumped out at just as many attendants.

A crowd of between 10,000 and 15,000 people made its way around the downtown area throughout the day and craft vendors from across the country were eager to show off their individual trades.

From leather purses, religious items and candles to more unexpected items like punk rock shirts and patches, there was a booth or two for everyone to enjoy.

“We’ve been getting a lot of kids over to our booth with one of our marionettes,” said Monty Hargrave, holding up a large Dalmatian puppet which was suspended on several strings. “It’s a little big for most of the kids we work with, those 3 years old and under, but it does get us a lot of attention.”

Hargrave’s booth, which displayed products from his wife’s Corsicana business called Alenna’s Gifts, was filled with puppets and other toys of all varieties.

“Another handmade item, this 3-foot cow, is also usually a hit with the kids,” Hargrave said.

Children were not the only ones drawn to specific booths at the fair, especially not where Carolyn Denning’s bird feeders and specialty gifts booth was concerned.

Ten ladies at a time crowded the booth all throughout Saturday morning to see Denning’s special homemade bird feeders, which were crafted out of matching plates, mugs, cups and saucers.

“I had seen bird feeders that looked like plain sticks for years, and I wanted to try something else,” she said. “I started off using teacups and saucers to make a bird feeder, but then I expanded into dog dishes and whatever else I could find.

“My husband designed the hardware I would need to make these bird feeders stay together, and now this has kind of turned into a family business.”

Denning, who traveled to the fair from Hutto, said her unique products take a lot less time to put together than her customers sometimes assume.

“The assembly doesn’t take very long at all,” she said. “The tricky part is having to drill holes and cut metal supports at different heights and lengths for different models.”

Trinity County resident Connie Price had her own unique products, which she was selling entirely for a special non-profit organization in her area.

“We are selling wreaths made of real barbed wire, and every penny we make today is going toward Inspiration Village, a residential ranch for the handicapped we’re trying to establish in Trinity County,” she said.

The wreaths Price was selling were holiday-themed, decorative and, even with their pointy composition, completely handmade.

“We had to tear down a fence on our property, so we decided to make use of the wire,” she said. “I think they turned out really pretty.”

Local residents contributed their artistic abilities to the Fair on the Square, as well.

Robin Parker, an Elkins Lake resident, set up a booth she called A Half a Bubble Off where she displayed her original artwork.

“I do some of my work from portraits and photographs, but some of it is obviously from my imagination,” she said. “In my work, I like to add things like earrings and jewelry for detail.

“My favorite piece is of Greta Garbo, and what I like about it is the color behind her and the texture of her hair. My first piece, though, was of Elizabeth Taylor.”

While at the fair, Parker presented a portrait to a friend who she said was very complimentary of her work.

“I actually got into this because my sister was an artist and I wanted to see if I could be an artist, too,” she said. “I’m really happy with the way my work has turned out.”

Several local organizations also had informational booths set up during the fair.

Walker County Republicans and Democrats each had a booth, as did the Huntsville Police Officers Association, the Huntsville Independent School District, Huntsville Memorial Hospital and several others.

The Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce also kept an informational booth open throughout the fair where guests were invited to direct any questions or concerns.