Cedarhurst Craft Fair Attracts 15,000 Visitors, Great Art

Some events hang around long enough that they become an institution, changing the way people think. The annual Cedarhurst Craft Fair is one of those things. The fair began 30 years ago at Cedarhurst, the estate of John And Eleanor Mitchell, long-time residents and philanthropists in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The Mitchells had died nearly a decade earlier leaving behind their art collection for the creation of the Mitchell Museum and their estate as a place to house it. Most locals had not really even heard the name Cedarhurst until the craft fair committee decided that would be the name of the annual fair. Now, the fair attracts more than 15,000 visitors in two days to the small estate in Mount Vernon, an estate once known as nothing more than the grounds of the Mitchell Museum.

And, as the years have passed, the name has outgrown the fair and is the given name of the arts center that encompasses the museum, the sculpture park, a creative arts center and all the art-related events that take place there each year including the fair. The Cedarhurst Craft Fair still might be a little misnamed. These crafts are not your grandma lace doilies or aunt's hand-painted ceramic cats. These are crafts only in the sense that they are hand-crafted. After that, whenever you hear Cedarhurst Craft Fair, substitute Art Exhibit. Sure, these talented people want you to buy their wares, but these items of beauty have nothing to do with arts and craft classes. Displays have ranged in the past from hand-carved wood duck decoys to lavish stained glass windows. To even be considered for this show, artists have to submit slides of their work and go through a juried competition. That's not all too unusual for higher end craft shows.

What is unusual is the agreement artisans make with fair personnel. Nothing may be displayed at the booth that hasn't been through the juried selection. And, if jurors perusing the displays during the show believe your work isn't of high enough quality, they can and will ask you to remove it immediately. This is a very serious art display. Over the course of the weekend, more than $8,000 in prizes is awarded to the artisans with work on display, largely in the form of purchase awards. The pieces purchased then become part of the permanent collection of the Mitchell Museum and Cedarhurst Art Center. But don't let the serious love of art imply that this isn't a raucous good time. There is music and beer on Saturday, events for children, art and craft demonstrations and lots of good food provided by many of the city's civic organizations. The 30th annual Cedarhurst Craft Fair is Sept. 8 &9 from 10 .m. to 5 p.m. The cost if $3 for adults and free for children 10 and under. Visitors should park at Times Square Mall, just off Broadway Street, less than a mile east of Interstate 57 in Mount Vernon. There a free shuttle will take visitors to the fair.