Sugarloaf Craft Festival opens at fairgrounds
Lamps, scarves, baskets, jewelry, furniture, photos, stained glass and just about every other imaginable crafty thing replaced the usual tenants inside the barns of the Prince William County Fairgrounds on Friday.
Yes, the Sugarloaf Craft Festival has opened its gates.
Hundreds of people, none of whom would admit to playing hooky from work, showed up for the first day of the festival where more than 300 crafters and artists displayed their wares beneath white tents.
Tina Stoernell and Sherry Roloff, nurses at Prince William Hospital in Manassas, said they work weekends so they had the time off from work anyway.
Roloff, who brought her daughters Anna, 3, and Megan, 2, in a stroller built for two, said she had to rush by some of the displays before the girls became too interested in the merchandise.
Anna was particularly pleased by the sets of wind chimes at one of the tents at the fairgrounds.
“I might be buying those if I don’t watch out,” said the 29-year-old Bristow mother as her daughter ran her hand along the metal cylinders and smiled at the resulting chimes.
Stoernell, who said she often attends Sugarloaf, introduced the Roloffs to the craft show.
“We’ve had such a good time,” Roloff said.
Susan Scharnagle collected admission at the gate Friday and said it looked like this year’s show was getting off to a good start.
“It’s a pretty good crowd for a Friday,” the Jessup, Md., resident said among a steady stream of customers.
Scharnagle, who has been working for Sugarloaf for about 12 years, said she expects this weekend’s show to be well attended today and Sunday. The festival is open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.
She said the weather is supposed to be good for the weekend, but the weather doesn’t matter much anyway.
“The craft show people come out rain or shine. They don’t care,” she said.
Admission to the show is $7 for adults and children 12 and under are free.
Country music singer Ronnie Milsap will perform Saturday at 1 and 4 p.m. Milsap holds eight Grammy awards and six Country Music Association awards.
Rising country star Tammy Cochran will perform at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday.
CLARISSA, an alternative rock band out of Baltimore, will play at each of the four shows.
The concerts are included in the price of admission.
Staff writer Keith Walker can be reached at (703) 878-8063.