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By Tracey Pugh
Crozet Arts and Crafts Festival Director
The first Crozet Arts and Crafts festival occurred in May 1981 with a roster of 28 artists and craftsmen. The idea was Mrs. George Kane’s. At the time she was serving as treasurer of Claudius Crozet Park and she was well aware that the Park desperately needed a source of yearly income to support it. In particular, there was the pressing necessity of paying off a very sizeable debt incurred when the 20-year-old junior Olympic pool required extensive repairs. The debt came to $53,000 and interest on it amounted to nearly $5,000 that first year.
Mrs. Kane also had three years’ experience serving as treasurer for another fall craft show held in Albemarle and she became Festival Chairman, envisioning the fair as the annual fund raising event for the park that it has indeed become.
Mrs. Kane invited craftsmen and artists who lived within a 25-mile radius of Crozet to participate. She was not in a position to promise them impressive financial rewards. It was a first-year show in a rural location. She wanted to keep their expenses to a minimum. The pavilion that serves as the main building of the 22-acre park could only accommodate 28 booths.
The Park's Board of Directors advanced Mrs. Kane $200 to put on the Festival. That modest sum covered postage and printing of applications. The local merchants bought advertisements that paid for a slim program to be given out to visitors when they paid their admission.
Amazingly, the festival generated $3,000 for the Park, and the majority of exhibitors said they were willing to return for a second year. So, in 1982 the roster grew to 62 artists and craftsmen. Once again, the Park directors handed Mrs. Kane $200 to get things started. Supporters of the Festival gave her some additional cash donations for advertising, tent rental for additional booths, gasoline, travel to nearby craft shows and phone calls. In 1982, the Festival cleared $9,347. In the third year of the Festival, profits amounted to $9,862.
Every year, more and more accomplished artists and craftsmen applied to the Festival. As word spread, the news got around that the show was well attended. Even when it rained in those early years, close to 7,000 persons visited the Festival.
So it has become profitable enough for artisans of stature to apply for the two-day event. The Crozet Arts & Crafts Festival has attracted a considerable number of exhibitors who have been juried into The Baltimore Show put on by The American Craft Council, The Richmond Show sponsored by The Hand Work Shop; and The Roanoke Craft Show sponsored by The Roanoke Museum of Fine Arts, all highly respected shows that are considered prestigious in craft circles.
Potters, weavers, woodworkers, metal smiths, glassblowers, workers in stained glass, artists, and photographers from all over the United States now meet in Crozet.
Success, however, brought a price.
In the years since its inception, advertising and other costs have climbed, guidelines for permits and licenses have become more rigid and offering an affordable show for the artists has become increasingly challenging. We not only want to raise money for the day-to-day operation of the Park, we want to ensure our artists make a profit as well. Most of the festival profits come from gate admission. There is a limit on how much the Festival can charge in space fees, and the monies received from those are spent on advertising and other expenses. Many of the ideas and principles implemented by Mrs. Kane are still in effect.
Claudius Crozet Park is a community non-profit recreational facility open to all. Our goal is to provide a clean, safe place for children to play, a place where families will want to spend leisure time together and where young and old alike can enjoy the beauty this area is blessed with. As the primary source of income for year round operations, the Crozet Arts & Crafts festival relies heavily on the support of local businesses and individuals to help ease expenses.
Traditionally we welcome 100-125 of the finest artists from all over the country, live entertainment all weekend long, children’s activities and out new in 2008 a wine tasting tent.
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