Who ever said you shouldn’t be fiddling around?
The fourth annual Springwater Fiddler’s Fair and American Crafts Show once again delighted audiences last Saturday with its array of bluegrass, folk music and the like; plus local crafts and food vendors, and trailways along the hillside of Sugarbush Hallow where hikers were greeted with workshops and more music. Kids had their own music stage with games and crafts nearby.
“I love the smiles on people’s faces,” Chuck Winship, owner of Sugarbush Hollow and committee member, said of the event. “It’s not [about] money, it’s just somebody’s having a good time.”
The Fiddler’s Fair began in 2009 as a way to reignite the former Fiddler’s Picnic at Hemlock Park, which later switched to Palmyra and is no longer in existence. Genesee Country Village and Museum has hosted a fiddler’s fair for quite a while.
“[I] Wanted to bring something back to the area that was of value, and it seems like it is,” committee member and past chair Pam Masterson said. She tried seeing if she could get it resurrected at Hemlock Park, but the City of Rochester declined. While working at Sugarbush Hallow, the idea of using it as the venue sprang up. After Winship gave his blessing, she pulled together a committee of local people, who expected a few hundred people to turn up. For its first year, about 1,200 gathered.
“We were actually overwhelmed,” Masterson said of the turnout. Each year the attendance has remained about the same, which seems to be just about right, Masterson said, considering the physical size of the venue.
About this year’s event, Masterson said it was incredible. “It’s definitely a memory and that’s what we were trying to create, is joy and a memory.” She accredits her team of about a dozen committee members who pull it together and work for a full year to constantly improve the festival.
Money collected through the fair goes back into the local community. The committee will be discussing who to donate the extra funds during its next meeting. They are open to suggestions. If you know of a worthy local cause, contact the committee at sffacspub@gmail.com. So far, about $4,000 has been donated to the community through the fiddler’s fair.
Who ever said you shouldn’t be fiddling around?
The fourth annual Springwater Fiddler’s Fair and American Crafts Show once again delighted audiences last Saturday with its array of bluegrass, folk music and the like; plus local crafts and food vendors, and trailways along the hillside of Sugarbush Hallow where hikers were greeted with workshops and more music. Kids had their own music stage with games and crafts nearby.
“I love the smiles on people’s faces,” Chuck Winship, owner of Sugarbush Hollow and committee member, said of the event. “It’s not [about] money, it’s just somebody’s having a good time.”
The Fiddler’s Fair began in 2009 as a way to reignite the former Fiddler’s Picnic at Hemlock Park, which later switched to Palmyra and is no longer in existence. Genesee Country Village and Museum has hosted a fiddler’s fair for quite a while.
“[I] Wanted to bring something back to the area that was of value, and it seems like it is,” committee member and past chair Pam Masterson said. She tried seeing if she could get it resurrected at Hemlock Park, but the City of Rochester declined. While working at Sugarbush Hallow, the idea of using it as the venue sprang up. After Winship gave his blessing, she pulled together a committee of local people, who expected a few hundred people to turn up. For its first year, about 1,200 gathered.
“We were actually overwhelmed,” Masterson said of the turnout. Each year the attendance has remained about the same, which seems to be just about right, Masterson said, considering the physical size of the venue.
About this year’s event, Masterson said it was incredible. “It’s definitely a memory and that’s what we were trying to create, is joy and a memory.” She accredits her team of about a dozen committee members who pull it together and work for a full year to constantly improve the festival.
Money collected through the fair goes back into the local community. The committee will be discussing who to donate the extra funds during its next meeting. They are open to suggestions. If you know of a worthy local cause, contact the committee at sffacspub@gmail.com. So far, about $4,000 has been donated to the community through the fiddler’s fair.
