The Garden City Telegram
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Crowd pleaser
Published 9/29/2008 in News : Area coverage
By MONICA SPRINGER
mspringer@gctelegram.com
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SCOTT CITY -- The corn was roasting, the turkey legs were cooking and the funnel cakes were frying Saturday at the Scott City Whimmydiddle Arts and Crafts Festival.
Arts and craft goers had plenty of time to walk the extra calories off when walking back to their parking spots, sometimes three or four blocks away from the festival.
Food was not the main draw to the festival, though. Kids kept busy by playing with balloon yo-yos and colorful puppets. Grandparents, parents and children made their way through the crowded park in search of bargain buys and unique home accessories.
The show usually draws a big crowd, but craft vendors and event organizers said the serene weather this year was a plus for the festival and better than last year's windy weather.
"We were really pleased with the weather," said Suzanne Beaver, who helped organize the event. "It was another successful show."
Beaver said there's no way to get a head count for the event, but added that vendors were down from last year. The crowd of shoppers, though, seemed to be consistent with past years, she said.
Addie Briggs, 5, and Anna Briggs, 3, kept busy by bouncing brightly-colored balloon yo-yos. Their mother, Amy Briggs, of Gove, filled the family's car once, then went back to do more shopping.
Briggs said the charm bracelets were a big hit with her kids, as was the kid's corner, where kids could make paper art and pipe-cleaner creations.
Kids at the arts and crafts show also were drawn to the booth of Lisa Kahrs of Dexter. Karhs was selling hand-made puppets and marionettes, which were brightly colored and made out of fake fur.
The dog was popular among kids, along with the cat, bird and alien. Kids can control the animals' limbs by using the strings and sticks the animals hang from.
"It's been a nice crowd," Kahrs said. "Lots of people have been out. It's been great."
Each vendor pays $85 for a booth. That money is used by the Alpha Omega Sorority in Scott City, a local chapter of the Epsilon Sigma Alpha Sorority, a national philanthropic organization for women.
The money is used to fund scholarships for Scott Community High School students. It is also used to support Heartsprings of Wichita and Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital.
There were more than 140 vendors at the festival, including vendors selling dried floral arrangements, clothing, furniture, pottery, jewelry, roasted cashews and pecans and more.
Michelle Casanova, Garden City, has been selling her wooden art at Whimmydiddle for three years. She cuts it out and paints it at her home.
One wooden sign read: I don't repeat gossip. Sit down, shut up and listen.
Casanova thought the high gas prices might keep shoppers at home, but she said that didn't seem to deter shoppers on Saturday.
"It's been very busy and lots of people have been here," she said.
Delma Gerberding, of Clearwater, knows plenty about Whimmydiddle. She has been selling her arts and craft creations at the festival for 16 years.
She sells primitive rag dolls, along with fall, Halloween and Christmas decorations that are tea-stained and aged.
"Every year is better than the last," she said. "The weather doesn't matter. People come."
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