The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen’s Fair is returning to Mount Sunapee Resort this weekend for its 85th year and Annie and Steve Frye of Hopkinton will be among the nearly 200 artisans present.
“I’m starting to think it’s the best show I do,” said feltmaker Annie Frye, who is looking forward to spending her days in Newbury with customers and fellow artists.
Frye layers silk chiffon and colored merino wools to create one-of-a-kind patterned felt fabrics used in the jackets, scarves and neckpieces she makes.
In the wood shop next door, her husband Steve has laid out a variety of wood-turned pieces from salad bowls to lamp bases in preparation for the fair. Because he starts his process with freshly cut “green” wood that still needs drying, pieces often take more than a year to create.
“You can buy dried wood and it’s less time involved – obviously. You go right to the finished product. But it’s not as much fun because turning green is like literally peeling the potato. It cuts really easily.”
Some of the other local craftsmen at this year’s fair will include Hampton Pottery and L. Nichols Woodcarving out of Chichester; jewelers Kristin Kennedy and Maureen Redmond-Scura out of Concord; This Bird’s Absurd and McLaughlin Celtic Designs out of Warner; and Clayton’s Way Farm Soap out of Weare.
The nine-day juried event runs Saturday to Aug. 12, rain or shine. Daily demonstrations and workshops are scheduled. Admission is $15 for adults and $13 for seniors, active duty military and veterans. There is no charge for children age 12 and under. For additional information about the fair, go to nhcrafts.org/annual-craftsmens-fair.