RISON - There was a time when the Pioneer Crafts Festival held each spring at the Pioneer Village in Rison was the largest event of the year in Cleveland County, attracting visitors from across the state and throughout region.
At its peak, the festival was a two-day event that attracted dozens of crafters showing off and selling their hand-made creations. There were times when so many visitors were trying to make their way to the Pioneer Village that alternative parking areas had to be set up and visitors had to be shuttled back-andforth to the Village. However, as mass-produced crafts began to emerge within the industry, the number of people making hand-crafted items began to decline and so did attendance to craft festivals. In its last five years of existence, the Pioneer Crafts Festival had been reduced to a one-day event before event organizer Betty Lisemby finally decided to end it after its 38th season in 2009. She cited the economic conditions at that time as being a major factor as crafters had cut back on their crafts and shoppers were holding onto their money rather than buying anything.
Now 15 years later, the Pioneer Village is looking to revive the Pioneer Crafts Festival, but in a little different way than the original.
The Pioneer Village of Rison has announced it will be holding the Pioneer Crafts Festival on Friday and Saturday, April 1920. It will include a "Beans & Greens" supper on Friday night that will also feature some live entertainment. The demonstrators and vendors will be the focus on Saturday.
While the festival will still be pursing vendors who make hand-crafted items, other types of vendors will be welcome as well and there will be more of an emphasis on demonstrations.
Malinda Berry, former president of the Pioneer Village who is helping put the revived Pioneer Crafts Festival together, said the newest version of the festival will focus on demonstrating the old-time ways of doing...
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