(This article first appeared in the September print edition of the Hendersonian.)
You know without a doubt that autumn has arrived in Henderson when the annual Lions Club Arts & Crafts Festival occurs at Audubon State Park.
It’s a tradition that is a part of the community fabric, similar to the Tri-Fest, the summer downtown music festivals, church picnics and festivals, and the Lion’s Club own annual auction.
Myrle Partridge, the club’s publicity chair, said the plans for this year’s arts & crafts festival don’t deviate much from what has kept it around so long.
The Lions, he said, are “carrying on the tradition of keeping the thing going.”
The event last year drew about 2,500 cars, which according to calculations equals about 6,000-6,500 people.
He expects that amount at this year’s event, though the attendance always boils down to the weather. Sunny and crisp, they’ll turn out. Cold and rainy, they won’t.
“It’s a weather-driven event,” Partridge said.
Lions Club member Maggie Collier said the festival constantly attracts new talent.
“We do have a lot of new vendors every year,” she said.
Collier added that she expects 100-plus craft vendors this year.
The date has always been the first weekend in October, and it remained there even when the local school system started taking the first week in October as its fall break. Partridge said there was some mention of changing the date so those people who took off for fall break would be around to attend the festival.
“We decided to leave it there because that’s where it’s always been,” he said.
The Lions also take into account their vendors who create throughout the year and many whom have a set circuit that they adhere to each year. If the local arts and crafts festival date were to be changed, many would have conflicts and wouldn’t come here, Partridge said.
The festival will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Oct 4 and 5 at Audubon State Park. Entry fee is $5 per car.
The Lions charge craft vendors $135 per spot and food vendors $190 per spot. Visit hendersonlions.org or go to the Henderson Lions Facebook page for more information.
Both entry fees and vendor fees are collected by the Lions to fund eyeglasses and eye surgery for those who can’t afford it, eye screening for local children in grades 1, 3, 5 and 7, scholarships to graduating seniors and grants to local nonprofit organizations. All the money stays local, Partridge said.
Last year, the Lions raised between $22,000 and $23,000, Partridge said.
The festival is the second biggest fundraiser for the Lions; its biggest is its annual auction held in February.
