Loose Leaf Notes

There’s nothing like a winter wonderland snowglobe to stir the spirit of the Christmas season, or to shake up weekend plans.

Although our town’s Christmas parade, planned for today, was postponed till next week due to snow, some festive weekend events did herald in the holidays. Pictured here are some cast members from the Young Actors Co-op’s latest play “A Christmas Carol” preparing to do some scenes at Friday’s “Dickens of a Night.” They fit right in with their period dress. I think I see Scrooge in his nightgown.

I covered the 15th annual Winterfest Art and Craft Show at the Jacksonville Art Center for the town paper. The festival, held in the center’s renovated dairy barn, showcases the handcrafted works of Floyd artisans and features our local musicians. There’s home baked goodies and kid’s activities too. Pictured here is Lee Chichester (one of the art center’s founders) talking with Lora Byler, who makes jewelry and knitted hats and scarves.

At the fest I visited with an old friend Michele Bankey of Mountain High Tye-Dye. She told me she just recently discovered I was writing for the paper (which I’ve been doing for four years now) when she used some recycled newspaper as a blotter for her dying process and noticed a story I had written.


Bell Gallery and Garden’s Joanne Bell and I reminisced about the early days of Winterfest before the barn was renovated and when there was no heat in it. Back then I was a vendor, selling my handmade silver wire-wrapped jewelry. Joanne still makes her pressed flower suncatchers. Her husband’s photography is pictured in the background.

By Saturday morning the snow was coming down, which made for some good outdoor shots. Every year Christmas tree sales at Winterfest go to benefit the Jacksonville Center. This year Amanda Chartier sold her handmade wreaths.

The festival, set for Friday evening through Saturday evening, carried on even though the snow kept falling, although the event did close down a couple of hours early because of the weather. While there, I bought some gourmet cookies by the pound from my friend and master baker Liz Stucki. Liz, an artist who used to run the pizza restaurant Mama Lizardo’s, reinvents herself every decade or so. I set my box of cookies down somewhere to take pictures and never did find them again.

Throughout the weekend there was a bustle of activity in spite of the accumulating snow. Downtown shoppers enjoyed going in and out of shops. There were artists and crafters set up at the new farmer’s market and in the newly renovated (old Mama Lizardo’s building) Station. And I saw at least one person take cover from the snow by putting a sled on her head.

Post notes: I got a call late Saturday that my cookies had been found! I’m looking forward to seeing the new YAC play “A Christmas Carol” on one of their upcoming performance dates: Sunday at 6:00, Monday at 7:00, Thursday and Friday at 7:00 at the Sun Hall. Look for more photos on Winterfest in this week’s paper.