The Blueberry Festival Craft Fair prides itself in ensuring that merchandise is hand-made. Photo by Kelly Weber/Through Kelly’s Eyes

Hosted by the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce and celebrating its 25th anniversary, the 2010 Blueberry Festival Craft Fair will be hosted in Stanley Johnston Park in South Haven on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Attracting 140 artisans from the local area, Michigan and around the nation, this annual event is hosted as a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser and to complement National Blueberry Festival activities and events.

Artisans at the craft show are required to complete a rigorous application and juried process before being accepted to exhibit and sell their art or craft. The goal of the Chamber’s due diligence is to ensure that there is a good balance of products in the show, a variety of arts and crafts that will satisfy a broad range of personal tastes and financial abilities, and that the eclectic array of merchandise in the park is hand-made by the artisan exhibiting at the show.

Rachel Vochaska, executive director for the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce said, “Each year we are excited to see the beautiful hand-crafted products that are available for sale in Stanley Johnston Park over the National Blueberry Festival weekend, many of which are a one-of-kind and the artisan is available right there at his booth to tell the story of its crafting.”

The Blueberry Festival Craft Fair Jurying Committee prides itself on ensuring that arts and crafts are hand-made and not resale or buy/sell items as seen at many craft fairs today.

In addition to what seems an endless supply of unique products including simple country crafts to paintings, sculptures, pottery, needlepoint, woodcrafts, candles, jewelry and much more, there will be traditional concessions including elephant ears, funnel cakes, cotton candy, caramel apples, kettle corn and roasted almonds to the more substantial brats, gyros, Greek salads, barbecue pork, chicken and riblettes.

For more information about the Blueberry Festival Craft Fair or the All Crafts Fair taking place over the Labor Day weekend in Stanley Johnston Park, contact the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce at (269) 637-5171 or visit www.southhavenmi.com.