The 25th annual Winterfest Arts & Crafts Festival will be held Dec. 7 and 8, from 10 a.m. to p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
The festival will feature more than 30 local artisans and vendors offering a wide variety of art, crafts and goods.
The first Winterfest was designed as a year-end showcase of local artisanship and creativity, in time for local residents’ holiday shopping, many of whom always had a policy of buying locally made handcrafted gifts for friends and family. Twenty-five years later, Winterfest remains the best opportunity for shoppers to find a wide variety of handmade, local, unique gifts all offered at one place and close enough to Christmas to get some authentic gift buying done.
“Winterfest has been a long running community gathering event,” said Jeff Liverman, executive director. “Back before there was any heat in the old barn, it was a party as much as a sales event. Winterfest is always a time when people who haven’t seen one another in a while meet to sit down for some lunch, or play with the kids, or wander around the vendor floors together. It’s fun to watch folks having such a good time and getting into the holiday spirit at Winterfest – it’s a true community event,” he added.
Back for the sixth year – Festival of Trees & Wreaths. The Art Center has partnered with Floyd businesses and organizations to celebrate the holiday season and also encourage shoppers to visit local outlets for gifts, decorations, and food for the season. The 6th Annual Festival of Trees and Wreathes begins this week and runs through Dec. 8. This year Festival of Trees & Wreaths has over 60 participating businesses. Each pre-decorated, tabletop holiday tree or wreath will be on display at Winterfest, with the final silent auction bidding for visitors to win a tree to take home for the holidays finishing at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec 8.
“The Art Center invites everyone to attend this longest-running, signature event, admission is free,” Liverman said. “This year’s vendors will be offering locally made bath and body products, turned wood, wearables, leather goods, pottery, birdhouses, paintings and much more. There’s something to do at Winterfest for the whole family, along with the tremendous shopping opportunities we offer kid’s crafts for the young ones”.
The Winterfest Café will again be a significant element of the offerings, full of homemade delicacies, soups, snacks, and more. This year offering both breakfast and lunch.
Café Donors/Sponsors: Chantilly Farm, Commonwealth Eye, Dee’s Country Places, Finn Graphics, Floyd Fitness, Floyd Yurt Lodging, Grateful Bread, Griffith Lumber, Henry’s Healthy Pets, Rose Window Studio, Troika Gallery, Will’s Ridge Supply.
For more information about the Art Center or Winterfest, visit FloydArtCenter.org or call 540-745-2784. The Floyd Center for the Arts is located at 220 Parkway Lane South in Floyd, ½ mile south of the stoplight on Virginia 8. Regular hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
