By Charles Romans
Carter County Times
Pamela Howard of The Walking on Sunshine Wellness Spa and Shoppe at 207 North Carole Malone Boulevard in Grayson will be bringing a festival downtown this Saturday July 13. Originally conceived as a Lavender Festival to showcase all the benefits of lavender, it has grown to encompass much more, Howard said. Now the official title of what she hopes will become an annual event is the Lavender and Artisan/Handcrafters Festival.
The reason behind the evolution of the name was simple, Howard said.
“I wanted to promote local artists and local crafters,” she said. “We had a lot of local wares in our shop in the beginning, but this year we fazed that out because just having them here wasn’t giving the artisans and crafters enough exposure to sell their goods.”
The solution, Howard believes, is to host things like the upcoming event to raise awareness of what all the talented local creators had to offer.
“I wanted everyone to be able to promote what they make,” Howard said.
The first event will be held on the lot at the Carol Malone location and will have all things lavender like soaps, cupcakes, cookies, scones, simple syrup, lemonade, and teas to showcase the versatility of lavender. Much of the lavender will be provided by local grower Cindy Littleton who is bringing part of her first crop of the year to the event.
Though lavender items such as essential oil and loose-leaf tea will be the headliner of the event, Howard said she would like to see every local crafter in the area take advantage of the free set up and make it an event to remember. There is also no admission to the event, because Howard said she wants everyone to be able to buy as many local offerings that strike their fancy.
“The only criteria are that we want it to be homemade or handcrafted,” Littleton added.
The event runs from 9am until 7 pm, Howard said, and there are plans to have live music for both shoppers and vendors to enjoy. There will also be at least one food truck for people to enjoy local food and refreshment throughout the day.
“We want to cover the lot with locally made or grown items and just enjoy the whole day and whatever it brings,” she said.
Basically, whatever local artisans and crafters can imagine will be available, Howard said. She and her husband, for instance, collect geodes and they plan to let patrons pay to bust open geodes to discover what’s inside. There will also be gem mining for children as well as rock jewelry making all set up in stations throughout the parking lot for everyone to take part. And along the lavender theme, people will be able to make lavender sachet and watch as lavender oil is distilled right on site.
Howard and Littleton hope to see a good turnout for their first event, and would enjoy seeing local interest in locally made art, crafts, and other things the area provides.
“There are a lot of really talented people right here in our own back yard, and we should support them any way we can,” Howard said.
Contact the writer at charles@cartercountytimes.com
