By Kyle Roberts
Despite the threat of some afternoon showers, the arts and crafts scene at the 73rd annual Peach Festival saw 81 vendors showcasing their talents and products for the vast arrays of patrons that attended this past Saturday.
“We had a fantastic variety of vendors from in and around our region,” Ruston’s Main Street and Community Coordinator Amy Stegall said. “The Arts Market is important to the festival because it gives our artists and makers a place to sell their unique and amazing work.”
Callan Thornton is heading into her sophomore year at Louisiana Tech as a studio art major and made this past weekend her first time selling her talent at the Peach Festival. While she brought a lot of her personal work to display, her focus Saturday was five minute self portraits.
“I took the picture of the person and told them to come back,” Thornton said. “They walked around for a little bit while I drew them.”
Thornton said she enjoyed her experience overall.
“It was very busy, and there were a lot of people walking by,” Thornton added. “It was super hot, but I had a lot of fun. It was exciting to be able to walk around and see everyone else’s work, as well.”
While Thornton was making her Peach Festival debut, Linda Moss marked her third festival Saturday, coming from Shreveport and bringing her talent for landscapes and painting from photographs.
“We always have a good time,” Moss said. “It’s always hot, but that just part of it. It’s a great little festival.”
From a craft perspective, Steven Wade of Stowe Creek Woodworks had an array of wooden toys and other knick knacks available for purchase, and has been coming to the Peach Festival since 2016.
“We’ve done the Peach Festival for several year,” Wade said. “We had a lot of wooden toys, children’s furniture and other items. The experience has always been good.”
For Stegall, the Arts Market is a staple of the festival that gives a great variety for festival attendees.
“It adds so much to the cultural experience of the festival, because art is so closely tied to our culture,” Stegall said. “From alligator paintings to leather works, you’ll find a variety of incredibly talented artists who share their amazing pieces with us in the market.”
