FACES & PLACES
AROUND TOWN
SEPTEMBER 2007

14TH ANNUAL NEW HOPE OUTDOOR ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL

Over 125 artists will present and sell their work at the 14th annual juried New Hope Outdoor Arts and Crafts Festival on Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 30, 2007, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in historic New Hope, PA.

Organized by the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce, this prestigious event will feature the work of premier artists and craftspeople specializing in oil painting, pastels, watercolors, drawing, etching, mixed media, black & white and color photography, soft and hard sculpture, wood turning and rustic furniture, pottery, wearable art including leather and fabric handbags and handspun clothing, jewelry including hand-blown glass beadwork plus precious and semi-precious metals and stones.

Many popular local artists will participate in the festival in addition to visiting talents from Tennessee, Florida, New Hampshire, South Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Connecticut and beyond. The two-day event will be held rain or shine and admission is free. For more information, visit www.NewHopeChamber.com or call (215) 862-9990.

"New Hope has long been lauded for its artistic heritage and has been named, by numerous publications, one of the top destinations for arts in the country," said Sharon Flanagan, Chair of the Festival Committee and owner of New Hope Leather. "In keeping with this reputation, we maintain a very high standard for exhibitors. A jury of arts and crafts professionals determines the exhibitors, and selects winners in four different categories." Jurors for the 2007 festival include Ed Adams of E. M. Adams Gallery, Lonn Braender of BOI's of New Hope, Catalina Castells of Heart of the Home, and Ana Leyland of A Mano Gallery.

Booths will line North Main Street from Bridge Street to Parry Street, the PNC Bank parking lot overlooking the river and Ferry Street Park adjacent to the Bucks County Playhouse. The free New Hope Trolley will serve as a shuttle between various parking locations. Parking is available at the New Hope-Solebury High School, the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad, Union Square and three public lots at the south end of Main Street. Limited on-street metered parking is also available. Signs will divert traffic to the festival while North Main Street/River Road is closed from the 202 toll bridge overpass to downtown New Hope from Saturday at 6:00 a.m. through Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

The event includes musical entertainment in various locations, plus local food vendors including Hetu Fine Foods, Main Squeeze and Triumph Brewing Company. Festival favorites such as funnel cake, kettle corn and lemonade are also available for purchase. A children's activity booth offers youngsters the opportunity to experience the festival's creative atmosphere. The James A. Michener Art Museum's educational staff assists visitors of all ages in hand painting silk scarves.

Among the highlights of the 2007 festival, visitors are invited to ring the full-scale Liberty Bell replica that will be on display at the Parry Mansion Museum. Purchased in 1975 by the Liberty Bell Foundation, the 2,080-pound bell was cast at the Whitehall Chapel Foundry in London, the same foundry which cast the original Liberty Bell in 1752. This authentic replica has participated in numerous and varied national celebrations including the Bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, the 1993 Presidential Inauguration, the Millennium Celebration in Philadelphia and the 2000 Republican National Convention. President Gerald Ford, Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, Polish President Lech Walesa and President Bill Clinton, to name a few, have all utilized the bell to recognize significant moments in American history. On loan to the New Hope Historical Society from Freeman's Auction House, the bell sits on the grounds of the Parry Mansion at Main and West Ferry Streets on September 29 and 30. New Hope-Solebury High School students garbed in period costume participate in the weekend festivities. The New Hope Historical Society presents special walking tours of New Hope on Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m., and the Parry Mansion is open for tours throughout the weekend.