You’ll have one crafty time at this festival.
The New Germany Festival of Arts and Crafts will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the New Germany Grove, 1635 New Germany Road, Summerhill.
The festival is known for its handmade crafts and is the major fundraiser for the Summerhill Borough Volunteer Fire Department.
“This is a highly anticipated show each year,” said Mary Lou Schrift, craft coordinator. “It’s one of the biggest festivals around, and it’s amazing how big the crowds have become over the past few years. The crafts, the food and the entertainment is all top quality and make our show what it is.”
This year, there will be 172 crafters and food vendors, with 32 of them new additions.
“The festival is juried, and everything has to be handmade by the crafter,” Schrift said. “I look at the quality and the display, and I’m always looking for new and fresh ideas.”
Returning festival favorites include hand-carved wood flowers, tumblers, doll clothes, stained glass, primitives, decorative painting, pottery, photography, hand-woven baskets, leather, rugs, hand-painted gourds, seasonal woodcrafts, signs, handmade greeting cards and ceramics.
New offerings include burnt-wood, silhouette cuttings, botanicals, seashell decor, glass and resin art, air-dry clay and recycled jewelry.
“Many of crafters are unique and different,” Schrift said.
Specialty food vendors will be selling elk and beef jerky, fudge, honey, iced coffee, maple syrup, hand-made chocolates, bubble tea, kettle corn, lemonade, old-fashioned soda, jams, sauces, dip mixes, braided German pretzels, cotton candy and candied apples.
Pisarski Farms will have have an array of fall decor.
The musical entertainment for Saturday will include That Oldees Band from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m, followed by The Rusty Shackles from 2:15 to 5 p.m.
Bob Clawson will entertain from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Sunday, followed by The Evergreens from 2:15 to 5 p.m.
Children’s activities include face-painting and glitter tattoos, and Razzle and Dazzle will entertain from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Returning this year will be the Festival Fun Scavenger Hunt.
Firefighters, auxiliary members and community volunteers will be cooking up an array of homemade food that includes a barbecued chicken dinner, roast beef sandwiches, ham pot pie, chicken noodle soup, Italian sausage, hamburgers, pizza, fresh cut fries, pumpkin and chocolate gobs, apple dumplings, peach dumplings, pumpkin spice and raisin-filled cookies, along with funnel cakes.
“New Germany is a really festive atmosphere with friendly people, and it’s an upbeat place to be,” Schrift said.
“With all the different crafts there is so much to see and there’s something for everyone.”
Larry Wilburn, treasurer of Summerhill Borough Volunteer Fire Department, said the festival receives a lot of support from the community who are instrumental in making the event a success each year.
“It’s very important to have these funds, and it helps us with our daily operating expenses,” he said.
“We also use funds to update our equipment.
“Our trucks are getting old so we may be looking at getting a new vehicle in the future, so the festival helps create funds toward that.”
Admission is free, but there will be a $2 parking fee that benefits the fire company.
No pets will be allowed on festival grounds.
For more information, visit www.newgermanyartsandcrafts.com.
Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at 814-532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25.
