JACKSON COUNTY, W.Va. — Independence Day in West Virginia again includes “the granddaddy of ’em all” for arts and crafts in the Mountain State in the 56th Annual Mountain State Art and Craft Fair in Jackson County.
For the past two years, the fair was held in September.
“Tradition is hard to break,” said Mike Ruben, director of the Ripley Convention and Visitors Bureau, of the return of the fair to July.
“For most of those 56 years, it was on the 4th of July holiday and that’s what the folks and many of the artisans preferred.”
Beginning Wednesday, July 4 and running through Saturday, July 7, more than 100 juried exhibitors, including several with interactive exhibits, will be on hand at Cedar Lakes Conference Center near Ripley.
“Many of the artisans have been coming here for decades, but we have new attractions as well,” Ruben said.
Fair hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
The Mountain State Art and Craft Fair dates back to West Virginia’s 1963 Centennial Celebration.
“It was going to be a one shot deal,” Ruben told MetroNews. “It went over so well in 1963, so they decided to try it again and it just continued to grow.”
For more information about the 56th Annual Mountain State Art and Craft Fair, click HERE.