The 56th Arts & Crafts Festival Artists Are Full Steam Ahead

Nearly 200 booths from 24 states and 157 cities will be converging for the 56th consecutive Amish Acres Arts & Crafts Festival. The festival continues to garner national recognition. The festival has risen to the 21st Best Classic and Contemporary festival in America by Sunshine Artist magazine. The event opens on Thursday, August 2 and continues through Sunday, August 5.

From Texas to Minnesota and California to New York, art truly does make the world of Amish Acres go round during the festival as artists and craftsmen ply their trade and sell their wares around the historic farm's pond.

The 2018 roster is filled with distinctive artists and craftsmen from across the nation.

The Nappanee Countryside Shoppes Pavilion showcases handmade goods representing over 250 cottage industries surrounding Nappanee, many owned by Amish and Mennonite families.

Among the newcomers this year are Todd and Kris Mueller from Altoona, IA who will be featuring clocks made from vinyl records. All the way from Magnolia, TX, Karen Tassell of PDQ Meals will be selling her gourmet food mixes as well as coffees, teas and cocoa mixes.

Returning for the 11th year, Keith and Pam Alexander from Calimesa, CA will feature a crowd favorite corian and solid surface cutting boards available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Jay Wennersten from Carol Stream, IL will be celebrating his 30th year with the festival and is proud to display his Fine Art Etchings.

Area Artists include Cynthia Diamond of South Bend who creates quilts and pillows from t-shirts. Also from South Bend, Dennis Drake will be featuring his revolving golf ball display and walking sticks. A Spice Above, Susan and Leonard Filewicz from Bremen, IN will introduce 23 flavors of gourmet dips. First time vendor Debra Stotts from Flower Patch Landscaping in Goshen, IN will have concrete leaf casts, birdhouses, fountains, and garden items available.

Festival hours are Thursday-Saturday (August 2-August 5) 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday (August 7) from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission price is $7.00 for adults; $6.00 for seniors and youth ages 12-17; active military personnel and children under age 12 are free. Parking is also free. No pets are allowed on the festival grounds. Amish Acres is located at 1600 West Market Street (U.S. 6), one mile west of downtown Nappanee. For more information, call 800-800-4942 or visit online at www.amishacres.com.

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