Art on the River 2013

Commerce Township

July 20, 2013

I’ve know for a long time that Lansing is bereft of lakes, and that not too far to the east of here the map is dotted in lakes. This is where Commerce Township is located. This is where the upper reaches of the Huron River runs through it. The art (really craft fair) was located at Byers Homestead. The farmhouse sits on a new foundation on a very little rise above the Huron River. The river is about 40 feet across here and looks to be very wadable except at the bridge into the homestead. Most of the day I just wanted to jump in, but that was not to be.

Leah Ohmer (Executive Director of the Huron Valley Council of the Art) was ever present and a very working executive director. None of that changed this craft show into an art show. It does say ‘art’ on the river and not ‘crafts’ on the river. The show was was well run, and well volunteered. I won’t go back.

Parenthetically craft shows aren’t inevitably ‘bad’, but they do draw potential customers who are looking for stuffed cat pillows over what I generally have to offer. So I tend to avoid them. Oh well!

I was right next to the farmhouse, and Larry who made very beautiful wood cutting boards was on the west side of me. I mentioned earlier that the farmhouse was on a rise. My 10 x 10 was well into that rise. I looked like a cardboard box that had been cut into rough rectangles and glued to the side of a building. It was challenging setup because nothing was on the square. The paperwork made it quite clear that everything had to be hauled into one’s space so I was prepared for that reality. One does not expect perfectly level ground outdoors in any location. I did not expect a hill.

Frankly I do not think my ramshackle appearance had any effect on sales, but I like the place to look neat & organized. It did not.

The bonus was that my 10 x 10 square of ground had the Huron River just a few feet behind me. I enjoyed that all day long.