PRAIRIE GROVE -- Around 200 arts and crafts vendors and more than 70 square dance groups will participate in the 63rd annual Clothesline Fair this weekend at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.
This is in addition to thousands of people who will descend on Prairie Grove to enjoy the three-day event.
Arts and crafts vendors start showing up Friday, so they are ready when the Clothesline Fair opens at 8:30 a.m. Saturday. The arts and crafts show continues through 3 p.m. Monday.
Eve Smith, director of visual arts with Arts Center of the Ozarks, said she is especially excited about the number of new groups coming this year with new crafts.
One new vendor uses iron to make huge sculptures for the yard. Visitors also will see lots of items made with fabric, she said.
The Clothesline Fair is sponsored by the Prairie Grove Lions Club, in partnership with the state park and Arts Center of the Ozarks.
Admission is free to the public. Parking is available at the state park for $5 per vehicle per day. Other parking also is available in the area and prices vary at these lots.
The Clothesline parade will start at Prairie Grove Middle School at 9 a.m., travel through downtown Prairie Grove and end at the state park. Parade entries will include square dance groups, local marching bands, antique cars, horse clubs and cheerleaders.
Square dancing and the Clothesline Fair go hand in hand and dancing kicks off at the amphitheater at 2:30 p.m. Saturday with younger children and their exhibition square dances. Teenagers take the stage at 7 p.m., hoping to win the coveted first place award for competition square dancing. All groups will dance again starting at 2:30 p.m. Monday, with winners being announced at the end of the evening.
The grassy hillside in front of the amphitheater stage will be filled with parents, grandparents, friends and other guests, so visitors are encouraged to bring blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the music and watch square dancing.
In addition to the handmade arts and crafts and square dancing, food and drink concessions are just as much a part of the Clothesline Fair. The Lions Club organizes food vendors and local non-profit organizations use the concession stands as fundraisers for their groups. Some of the food vendors include Boy Scout troops, American Legion, Prairie Grove Band Booster Club, Girl Scouts and Junior Civic League.
The Lions Club sponsors a concession stand at the Latta Barn, serving a wide variety of menu items. Proceeds are given out as donations throughout the year to various groups and to help those with vision needs.
Food vendors pay the State Park a 15 percent commission on sales and the Lions Club a 10 percent commission on sales. The commissions are used to cover direct costs for the weekend.
Other demonstrations and activities over the weekend include living history volunteer Jane-Ellen Ross, who will be in the Latta Kitchen discussing heritage gardens and talking about life and gardening during the time of the Civil War, and a Sons of Confederate Veterans tent.
As part of the Clothesline Fair, Battlefield State Park will participate in a statewide Legacy Week, which is a week to celebrate the existence and mission of all state parks in Arkansas. This year's featured topic is Arkansas State Parks: Connecting to Your Roots and Conserving our Legacy. All across the state, parks will offer programs, service projects and activities designed to foster an appreciation for Arkansas and its state park system.
General News on 08/27/2014