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Artisans gather in Ripley for Mountain State Art and Craft Fair

By Kristen Hainkel 2 min read

RIPLEY -- Numerous vendors gathered at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center grounds to sell their wares or provide entertainment Friday through Sunday at the Mountain State Art and Craft Fair.

One local business, Fruits de la Rose, hails from Belleville. It's owned by three retired military members, and they've attended the fair for two years.

"We make honey and apple butter," co-owner Greg Brannon said Saturday.

The honey comes from Brannon's beehives. He started beekeeping in 2017 and has 37 colonies. He said he would like to expand the colonies into the hundreds.

Co-owner Ben Auville said they plan to expand the business but need to wait on federal licensing.

"We're also planning to make fruit-based meads from rose-based fruits such as apples and strawberries," Auville said. "We used cold-pressed juices with the mead. We have a state license but haven't gotten a federal one yet. We're in that process now."

Next to them was Sassy Gals Gourmet Treats, owned by Jackson County resident Ginger Harmon. They sell various specialty nuts, drink mixes that can be made with or without alcohol and dip mixes.

"I've been here six or seven years," Harmon said. "We like the people. We like supporting our hometown. We get a lot of people who have moved away and come back."

One of the entertainment options was provided by the West Virginia Storytellers Guild, a group that promotes oral storytelling and teaches the public to do the same. Member Teri Lott told the audience "Anansi and the Box of Stories" and a spinoff from "Jack and the Beanstalk." Lott also used puppets to assist her.

"I went last year even though we were walking ankle-deep in mud." Lott said. She added with a laugh, "I came back despite that experience."

Another entertainment provider was the Appalachian Lassies, a Scottish and Irish dance team from Putnam County.

"It's tradition (to come here)," teacher Chantil McCormick said. "I first came here when I was 10 years old as a performer, and now I'm 50."

McCormick and her students, ranging from elementary to high school age, demonstrated the various types of Irish jigs and reels. They also taught the crowd a dance called "The Waves of Tory." Based on a place in Ireland, participants go around in circles and emulate waves.

Kristen Hainkel can be reached at khainkel@newsandsentinel.com

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