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The Insolent Willies, Bill Ackerbauer (guitar), and Frank DeVer Pullen (banjo, bass), will perform Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Cooperstown Artisan Festival. (Contributed).

Coop Chamber announces
return of Artisan Festival 

STAFF REPORT • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

The Cooperstown Artisan Festival will be returning to Main Street on Labor Day Weekend, the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce announced Friday, July 30.

The two-day, family friendly festival takes place outdoors on the lawn of the Otsego County office complex on Saturday, Sept. 4, and Sunday, Sept. 5, and is free and open to the public. The event is rain or shine.

This year’s festival will be a celebration of the creative spirit of the region, showcasing a vast range of handcrafted goods from more than 50 artisan vendors. For many local creators, the past year brought extra time to focus on their craft, and they have been looking forward with great anticipation for this opportunity to share their bounty. The level of artistry and innovation in this group of vendors is outstanding, and visitors will discover uniquely crafted goods combining beauty with functionality.

Craft categories represented include fine art and photography, pottery, jewelry, woodworking, textiles, bath and body products, candles, stationery, quilts, specialty foods and more.

Musical entertainment will be provided by The Neo Trio jazz band and The Insolent Willies acoustic roots duo Sept. 4, with folk singer Warren Sieme, and The Council Rock Band performing rock favorites Sept. 5.

Food on site will include grass-fed beef hotdogs and hamburgers from The Green Cow, a variety of hot sandwiches, fries, and veggie specials from Outback Jon’s food truck, and hot drinks, fresh-squeezed lemonade and sweet treats by Pink Flamingo Lane.

Several artisan vendors will be demonstrating their craft during the festival, including loom weaving by Lori Carter-Secreti of The Beginning Shop, yarn spinning by Priscilla Carroll of Mabel’s Cables, hydrosol distillation with Andrea Giordano of AromatheraChi and wood carving by Cooperstown’s own Emilie Rigby.

The Cooperstown Artisan Festival is just one of several events that will be drawing visitors to Cooperstown and extending the summer tourism season into September. The Cooperstown Art Association’s popular Fine Arts on the Lawn event at the Village Hall will take place concurrently with the Artisan Festival on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend, and the BriteVibes Beer and Music Festival at Brewery Ommegang is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 4.

Just a few days later, the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum will be presenting the long-awaited 2020 Induction Ceremony at the Clark Sports Center on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

The Cooperstown Chamber first organized the Cooperstown Artisan Festival in 2017, in response to calls to revive the Cooperstown Arts & Crafts Show which was initiated by the Leatherstocking Brush and Palette Club in the 1960’s and ran through 2013. The original Arts & Crafts Show was also traditionally held on Labor Day Weekend along Cooperstown’s Main Street, before eventually being moved to the Clark Sports Center. With last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the fourth year of the Chamber-organized event.

The Chamber is working with the Otsego County Department of Health to ensure that all the necessary public health regulations are followed. As of now, there are no restrictions on attendance. Participants and attendees will be asked to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask on festival grounds if they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. The festival will be presented in accordance with all applicable public health requirements at the time of the event. Due to potential health concerns, there will be no organized children’s activities at this year’s festival.

For more information about the Cooperstown Artisan Festival and its participants, visit www.cooperstownartisanfestival.info or contact the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce at 607-547-9983 or office@cooperstownchamber.org.

 

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