It's that time of year again. The 35th annual Polyarts is a free event and is scheduled for Saturday, September 26 rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the Hopkinton Town Common with crafts, music by the groups, Alter Ego, and The New Mood Ensemble, food, and a real sense of community spirit that is welcoming for the entire family.Although the economic crunch has affected many, Polyarts is still going strong this year with about seventy booths, plus non profits - which total about another twenty - along with food vendors. There is also a children's area, said Kathy Curry, one of the committee members and a craftsperson.
"Polyarts is one of the least expensive booth fees around and it is full as usual," said Curry. "I do about forty shows a year including the top shows in
Massachusetts., Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, and for me Polyarts has the largest return on investment."
There will be a large variety of crafts to choose from this year. Jewelry, honey, chocolate, hand-painted bells, knitting, fine art watercolors and oils, handbags, caricatures, pottery, leather, paper quilting, wood working, handmade toys, photography, dolls, doll clothing,, soaps, stained glass, pillows and stuffed animals, are some of the things to be found as visitors walk around the Common enjoying the perennial favorite treat-- apple crisp, provided by volunteers and served up by the Friends of the Library.
Polyarts is and remains a lovely annual New England festival, but it really is a non-profit event that raises money to give back to the community in the form of a $2,000 high school arts scholarship, donations to the senior center, and the renovation of the Town Common. It also caters to the non-profit groups in Hopkinton, said Curry.
The gathering of craftspeople to sell their wares is a time honored tradition that is seen at many New England fairs. Some of the crafters are local residents who work hard at their craft and the pride taken to create their wares shows in the end product.
As a craftsperson making hand-painted metal bells called Bellagrams, Curry is original in her idea. It is created to make someone happy, she said.
"The bells came in a ten different sizes and can be used for adult safety, animal safety, call bells, cheering bells for sports, child safety, a dinner bell, fishing pole alert, stocking stuffers, wedding favors and much more," she said.
Costume jewelry designer Trish Kozub, of iDazz Custom Designs, will be making her ninth appearance at Polyarts this year selling her original jewelry designs.
"I do about sixty shows a year, but this festival is by far my favorite show," said Kozub. "It is here that I unveil a portion of my Fall/Holiday Collection and it is a great way for me to see how my new pieces will be received by my customer base."
Another craftsperson exhibiting her wares is Pat Doucette from Fluid Notes, who is also making her debut appearance this year with her handmade greeting cards. "I have abstract watercolors, scrapbooking style cards, and pen and ink types of cards. I also have designed a pocketbook or laptop bag greeting card. it is a card made out of beautiful card stocks with embellishments that make the cards look like pocketbooks for the ladies or laptops for the gentlemen," she said.
"You can open the card to write your message and there is a vellum pocket to put a gift card or money for your present."
She adds, "I also make insulated lunch bags for women and children and fabric bowls. We are hoping for a beautiful, sunny fall day for our festival."
If you like lovely hand knitted children's sweaters, then check out Nancy "Punky" Drawe's booth for sweaters, cardigans, pullovers, and hoodies in sizes 6-12 months to 4 years. "But if there is a sweater someone would like to order in a different size or color, I can certainly do that," she said.."The best part of Polyarts for me is seeing and talking to all the people who I know; it's a great day for everyone to just come down to the Common and have fun."
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