“Folk School artists busy at the Scenic Drive Festival”

    


     Every year the Villages of Van Buren County hold a Scenic Drive Festival that brings thousands of tourists to the twelve villages. This year was no exception and as I drove through the county I was astonished at the number of people. As I recall last year was very cold and blustery but still the people came. This year with the weather being perfect the county was full of people traveling from village to village enjoying the many artisans, crafts, music, and other events. Since the artists who teach at the Villages Folk School make their homes here, this was a weekend that found them busy with their trade.

     Classes will resume this week on Thursday and Friday with Pat Crawford’s class in Pulp Play (Paper) & Journal Making. Then on Saturday, October 16 the following classes will be held: Vern Ramsey’s Chair Caning with Flat Reed Splits which will be a great class to take that chair with the cane seat you have always wanted to get repaired. Now you can have the satisfaction of repairing the chair and developing the skill for the job; next is John Preston’s Painting the Landscape class. John, who is a premier artist here in the villages, will share with you the art of capturing the landscape on canvas; Raymond and Connie Morris take you on an exciting Birdwatching tour that allows you to spot and recognize the many birds that are not only common to this area but those that use this region as a migratory path. Two great classes are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17; Artisan Bread Making Made Easy will once again be taught by Betty Printy. My wife took that class and men, I have to tell you, it was great reaping the benefits! We now enjoy some incredible homemade bread baked in one of Betty’s famous pottery Cloches. You just have to taste it to believe it! Ladies this class makes the art of bread making something anyone can learn to master; the other two-day class for you to enjoy is the Fried Fiction Workshop by S.L. Harryman. Ms. Harryman will help you take all those ideas you’ve had for a book and put them down on paper. This will be a very informative weekend for all of you struggling authors.

     On October 23 Karen Land will teach a class in Beginner’s Lightweight Sock Knitting which is the first of two sessions for this class. The student should be an advanced beginner knowing how to knit and purl well with small thread. The second session for this class will be on November 20 which will allow time in between for the student to work on their project.

     October 23 and 24 is another weekend of making and baking bread as Betty Printy fires up the ovens once again with her Artisan Bread Making Made Easy class.

     Pat Crawford teaches Natural Dyes in My Backyard on October 28 and 29. Learn what to look for to make different colored dyes. This class will cover various dye stuffs and how to harvest and prepare the materials. The student will also learn how to prepare fabric and natural yarns to accept dyes. She will be using only alum base mordants to keep the process natural and safe.

     On October 30 Vern Ramsey teaches another caning class. This class will learn the 7 Step Chair Caning process. Vern’s work is amazing. Your old chair will look like the day it was manufactured, maybe even better! If you plan on taking this class it is best to have any refinishing work that needs to be done on the chair already completed. That way the cane stays pristine and your completed chair will serve you for years to come.

     Taking a class at the Villages Folk School is easy. Just go to our website at www.villagesfolkschool.com, print the registration form, fill it out and mail it with your check to the Villages Folk School, P.O. Box 51, Bonaparte, Iowa 52620. Or call us at 319-592-3700 and Gloria will assist you with your class registration and any other questions you might have.

     Join us soon for an exciting folk school class. Maybe you would like to give a Christmas gift this year that was made by you. Let us help you with that project! See you soon at the Villages Folk School.