Liz Kirchner
The Craft & Draft street festival returns to Radford’s downtown on Oct. 14 from 11- 6 p.m.
Lauri Murphy of Green Heron Arts founded the festival three years ago.
“I wanted to start a street festival for artisans, all things handmade and enjoyable for all ages, local people, the elder community, and Radford University students,” Murphy said.
The festival features more than 40 artisans, makers, and crafters this year. Artists in hand-crafted silver jewelry, hand formed pottery, glass work, and fine art are coming from Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina.
In addition to crafts, there will be drafts. Festival-goers can walk the entire festival with a craft beer in hand. Five craft taps from a beer truck will offer select craft brews and styles from Virginia breweries. Radford’s Big Rooster’s BBQ will also be on hand.
The event is designed to be suitable to all ages, dogs are welcome, and the entertainment is called “child-friendly”.
Keelan Donovan, a widely recognized Nashville artist, will sing songs with a country and folk rock influence. The Antecedents, recent winners of Nash Next 2017 contest, are a five-piece folk rock band out of Southwest VA.
Two local bands are The String Theory, a Radford based three-piece acoustic Americana group “specializing in clean harmonies and simple arrangements, and Whiskey Moth, a newly formed duo straight out of Radford, playing their own brand of dirty blues,” the press release said.
Last year, more than 1000 people attended the all-day event, but, said Murphy, “It was never too crowded. Just a gentle flow.”
Each year, the festival chooses a local nonprofit to support. “This year, the New River Valley Linus Project, will be celebrated for their work knitting 150 handmade blankets for local hospitals, women’s resource centers, ill and limited-resource children,” Murphy said.
The Linus Project’s mission is to “Provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of the new, hand-made blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer ‘blanketeers’.
The event will be held directly across the street from Murphy’s Green Heron Arts studio in the 3rd Ave. parking lot.
For vendor list and more information on this event, please visit us online at:
https://www.greenheronarts.com/craftanddraft or
https://www.facebook.com/RadfordCraftandDraft