By Paula Scott

The Saturday, June 3 Bluffton Arts and Crafts Festival will be the 50th by that name. It takes some doing to create that kind of continuity. Hiccups come along, like the COVID pandemic, which created a brief gap in the timeline. What has given the festival such longevity? The Icon talked to several individuals who have been instrumental in coordinating and promoting the festival, including long-time manager Jerry Burkholder.

In 2022, Katelyn Gainok took charge of the event when the Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce sought a new hand at the helm, doing so as the manager of Blended Roots. This year, following the shop’s closing, she is serving as coordinator for the chamber because she is simply determined that this Bluffton tradition deserves to be preserved.

Like last year, the festival will be held in the large grassy area adjacent to the Harmon Field parking lot at 125 E. College Ave. This cooler, greener and shadier location is a departure from the original location on Main St. Its other advantage is that no road closings will be necessary. The show will run from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., so vendors won’t have to rush to pack up at the end of the day.

The first “Festival of Bluffton Arts & Crafts” was created in 1972 as an attraction alongside the “town-wide Spring Sale” hosted by the Bluffton Business Men’s Association.

The 1972 festival was Saturday only, while the sale was Friday and Saturday, with most shops open in the evening. Craft exhibits and demonstrations were emphasized and took place on the sidewalk. What was the fashion among vendors? Bluffton News coverage the following week noted airplane model making, bead making, ceramics, decoupage, hand loom work, macrame and stitchery. 

A figure involved from these early days was Jerry Burkholder, who coordinated the event with a number of chamber directors. Burkholder helped make the show work better, including requiring that vendors pay for booth space in advance, so that the show would make money regardless of the weather forecast. He was also a master of logistics, marking the spaces on Main St., and keeping vendors in their assigned locations–even though each and all would have liked an end spot. Burkholder recalls that even though the festival’s success was always at the mercy of the weather, it “always was a good time” with only a few “kerfuffles.”

According to Fred Steiner’s count, Burkholder helped direct the festival for 47 years. Steiner promoted the event first as Bluffton News editor and later as CEO of the chamber. At its largest, the show stretched down Main St. from Elm to College and expanded onto Vine and Church. Steiner notes that the festival has seen trends come and go, but has always been a “down to earth, fun event.”

Gainok has held two Arts & Crafts festivals at the new location along Riley Creek, in the spring and fall of 2022. Vendors let her know that they are excited to do more shows in Bluffton. She comments, “I”m so grateful for all of the love and outreach I’ve received from people in Bluffton. The feedback has been wonderful.”

Some 50 vendors–with cottage foods, handmade items, and traditional arts and crafts–-are sign up for the June 3 Bluffton Arts and Crafts Festival, according to chamber director Jim Enneking. Food vendors are Shafer’s Smoked Meats, The Wailing Onion, Gossard Shaved Ice, Double D’s Nuts and Duncan’s Kettle Corn. Entertainment will include music by The Usual Suspects and wood carving demonstrations and Native American flute music by Ron Bowerman.

For further information on the festival, contact Gainok at [email protected]. She is especially interested in inquiries from individuals who would like to assist with children’s activities. She says, “Every year we are looking for new vendors and items, while keeping the true arts and crafts feel.”