League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair is coming up!

The League of NH Craftsmen's Fair is one of the finest, most prestigious craft events in the country today. This annual nine-day event features both traditional and contemporary fine craft work by juried members of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. 

The first Craftsmen’s Fair was held in 1933 in the Crawford House barn in Crawford Notch. The Fair's success exceeded everyone's expectations with sales totaling $2,698. It was decided then to make the Fair an annual event. The next year the Fair was held in the Hancock Town Hall and Church Vestry. Other locations throughout the years have included the UNH Field House in Durham in 1939, the Holderness School in Plymouth 1940, Dartmouth College in Hanover in 1941, the Belknap Recreation Center in Gilford from 1948-1960, and Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro in 1962. In 1964, the Fair was moved to Mount Sunapee State Park (now Mount Sunapee Resort) in Newbury and, due to its tremendous growth there, has remained ever since.

The Fair always begins on the first Saturday in August and runs for 9 days, 10am-5pm, daily, rain or shine.

• Shop more than 200 individual craft booths featuring jewelry, wood accessories, decorative glass, pottery, fiber arts, metalwork, furniture, prints, and more.


• Be inspired by the museum-quality Living With Craft Exhibition where room-like vignettes are filled with handcrafted furniture and decorative home accessories.


• Stroll through the new Sculpture Garden Exhibition and enjoy the inspirational collection of outdoor furnishings, sculptures and garden accessories.


• Select one-of-a-kind clothing and fashion accessories from theCraftWear boutique and sales exhibition showcasing handcrafted, wearable art.
• Participate in Demonstrations, Children's Workshops and Teen & Adult Workshops that teach how fine craft is made from start to finish.


• Visit The Shop At The Fair where the work of some of the League's newest members is featured.


• Enjoy a variety of daily Performing Arts by some of New England's finest musicians, storytellers and theater groups.


• View the work of guests from the New Hampshire Art Association, the New Hampshire Guilds, and The Next Generation who are children of state-juried League members learning to make and sell craftwork of their own.


• See the Print Exhibition featuring a selection of the finest prints in a variety of techniques.

Admission:

• $10 per person
• $8 seniors (62 and over) and students
• $8 group discount for 20 or more (please contact League headquartersin advance for this special discount)
• FREE - children 12 and under
• Online Ticket Purchase Discount - Coming soon, discounted online ticket purchases will be available for the 2011 Fair. Online tickets are discounted 10% - $9 each, no processing fee, discount available through August 5th, 2011.
• Discounted ticket purchases are also available at the Lake Sunapee Area Chamber of Commerce. Tickets are discounted 10% - $9 each, available through August 5, 2011.

Information courtesy of NH Craftsmans, for more information please visit 

http://nhcrafts.org/craftsmens_fair/fair_home.html

New Local Events

The Harbor Gallery in Sunapee Harbor is hosting an Artist Opening featuring Betsy Derrick and Dave Tibbetts on Friday, July 22nd, 5-7pm.  Call 763-7364 for any questions and check it out!

OPERA NORTH and Adventures in Learning at Colby-Sawyer College are collaborating to present Summer Fare with Opera North, a program of popular scenes and arias by Opera North’s Young Artists with a summer dessert reception to follow the performance Tickets are $25 with reservations requested by calling Adventures in Learning at 526-3690.  Saturday, July 23rd, 7pm at Sawyer Fine Arts Center at Colby-Sawyer College in New London.  The performance will benefit Opera North and Adventures in Learning.

Kearsarge Arts Theatre Company (KAT) company’s production of Peter Pan will run July 28-30 at 7pm and July 30-31 at 2pm at the Kearsarge Regional High School in N. Sutton, exit 10 off of I-89.  Tickets are $12 for children and $15 for adults and can be purchased by calling the KAT Box Office at 927-4899 or by going on-line at latcompany.org

There is a limited seating for a Sam Adams Beer Tasting and Dinner on Monday, July 25th at One Mile West—6:30 reception, 7pm dinner—5 different beers, 4 dinner courses; $35 per person but limited seating to 40 persons so act fast! Call 863-7500 for reservations.