Visitors to the Francestown Arts Festival found an eclectic mix of local arts and crafts, ranging from hand-spun linen to digital art and anime.
The annual event at the Francestown Town Hall showcases artists, crafters and makers from Francestown and surrounding towns.
Music was provided by Francestown resident John Thalhauser, who played saxophone on the stage of the town hall as people browsed. Thalhauser also plays in the Temple and Hollis town bands.
Pat Thalhauser, John’s wife, demonstrated hand-spinning linen from flax she grew in her Francestown garden.
“It’s similar to hemp,” she said. “The inside of the plant creates these fibers that are used to spin linen, and it’s been done for thousands of years.”
Artist Ashley Rogge said it was her first time displaying her work at a craft fair. She also recently started exhibiting at the Francestown Farmer’s Market.
“I’m really honored to be here with all these amazing artists,” Rogge said. “I feel like I’ve finally found my thing after graduating.”
Rogge creates traditional art, including acrylic painting, as well as digital art, including fantasy,fan art and anime.
“I’m kind of here to preach the nerdy culture,” Rogge said.
Katrina Rosa of Greenfield had products created from her Greenfield farm, including “Alpaca Beans,” which can be used to create liquid fertilizer.
Rosa also displayed heritage seeds, including ceremonial “Little Red Tobacco,” rose corn, and “skunk beans,” which she grows to honor her late mother’s Wabanaki heritage.
“Most people learned about the ‘three sisters” in Native agriculture — corn, beans, and squash — but in the Wabanaki tradition, which traditionally extended to southern New Hampshire, there are ‘seven sisters,'” Rosa said.
Rosa also sells herb bundles, items woven from her farm’s alpacas, and bouquets from her flower beds.
“We started out mostly with flowers, and now we’ve expanded out to a lot of different farm products,” Rosa said.
Kate Ruffa of Deering was a first-time vendor at the festival, with her husband Anthony by her side for moral support.
“I’ve been making art since I was eight. I work with acrylics, draw, sketch, and I make jewelry. This is our first attempt at being out in public,” Kate Ruffa said.
“I told her, you just have to get it out here and see what happens,” Anthony Ruffa said.
Woodworker Mark Bellino of Francestown was also a first-time vendor. Bellino, a retired machinist, said he first got started in woodworking after his father-in-law gave him a lathe.
“I never really thought my work was good enough to sell, but friends have been encouraging me to give it a go, so here I am,” Bellino said.
Bellino said each of his hand-crafted wood objects tells a story about the tree from which it originated.
“You can see where the branches were, where the live edges were, and I have some made from burls,” Bellino said.
Artist Paula Kay Kerouac of Dancing Wind Art Studio had her cards, paintings and other creations on display.
“It’s always so nice to be in Francestown,” she said. “They do a great job and there are so many wonderful artists.
Kerouac, who lives in Bennington, said she recently moved her studio to the old Avenue A space in Antrim.
“It’s been wonderful. The new location has been a great success so far,” she said. “I hope people will come see us in Antrim.”