Liquid Sunshine Did Not Stop the Arts!

April 18, 2011: A wise decision was made early Saturday morning as the sky shouted (no, there was no whispering about it!) the facts. Our sunshine on Saturday was going to be more liquid than not. By 8 A.M. the tables filled the Shinnston Women’s Club. There were many tables of wonderful crafts of every kind. Across the street at the Fire Department, the fire trucks were in the process of being moved to the street to make room for more arts and crafts. The bays also filled quickly.The Shinnston ON TRAC/Gillum House table selling genuine City of Shinnston logo mugs and Gillum House freshly roasted coffees (also several varieties of loose teas and the WVBBA cookbook) was set up in the Shinnston Volunteer Fire Department. Lambert’s Winery set up a mini tasting room with their table, giving folks an opportunity to discover one of West Virginia’s hidden treasures.Barbara Delligatti of Ona, WV brought her watercolors, prints, and greeting cards. Shinnston’s own Sulayne Brooks 304-592-0410 brought paintings in oil and in watercolor. Cathy Drain had afghans, quilts, and candle-wicking at her booth. Gary McDiffitt of Pine Grove, WV 304-889-3576 sold birdhouses, benches, and wagons that he made. Karma Kreations of Bellington, WV karma-kreations@live.com sold lovely jewelry, making some on-site. Set up directly behind the jewelry was Gloria’s Gifts G’lore 304-266-7445 from Thornton, WV with cup & saucer florals and “50s” sodas and sundaes. There was also Ann’s Family Tree from Coalton 304-636-5658 and Vi’s Pleasure Crafts 304-592-0519 from nearby Lumberport. Next to the Gillum House table was Kimberly’s Creations of Shinnston (the phone 443-250-0183 is Maryland – long story – but she is Shinnston). She does custom sewing for weddings, dance recitals, christenings, and proms as well as lovely crocheted items. Boyce Art Glass from West Union 304-873-1520 had wonderful hand-blown Christmas ornaments and icicles, glass napkin rings (beautiful flowers), paper weights, and something I had never seen before – beautiful yard birds! That is exactly what they were! Glass birds to decorate your yard (Kevin said the weather does not hurt them except perhaps hail). And these were just a few of the vendors found at the First Annual Shinnston Arts & Crafts Festival.Even with the rain there was a wonderful turn-out for the FIRST annual Shinnston Arts & Crafts Festival. Even Acting-Governor Tomblin stopped by to see the arts & crafts. I saw Delegate Sam Cann making purchases. He also bought a raffle ticket from the Special Olympics for their fundraiser. The shops on Pike Street had special sales all day and the Bice-Ferguson Museum was open. If you missed it this year, you missed a fun day. Watch for the dates on the City of Shinnston web site and come see why everyone is talking about Shinnston. We expect 2012 to be bigger than this year was!