Published: September 08, 2009 08:06 am      

Pottery Festival kicks off fun-filled September

Labor Day may have been a quiet weekend, but that will change on Friday as a series of local festivals and celebrations begin.

The Great American Pottery Festival in Irvine-McDowell Park on Lancaster Avenue gets things going in a big way this weekend.

Designed to highlight Madison County’s rich heritage of pottery making, the festival includes a lineup of entertainers and recreational activities for children and teenagers, according to Lori Murphy-Tatum, Richmond Tourism director.

“We have a record number of potters taking in the festival this year,” Tatum said. “We’ll also have more food vendors than ever, plus artisans other than potters who will have their handiwork on display and for sale.”

At least 13 local pottery studios, plus students from Eastern Kentucky University ceramics program and others from across Kentucky will participate in the festival, Tatum said. More than 50 vendors had reserved space for the festival last week.

In recent years, the most popular exhibits have been those that invite visitors to take their turn a potter’s wheel, she said.

“Few things are more fun – for adults as well as kids – than getting your hands dirty by shaping clay on a potter’s wheel and then seeing it baked into a work of art,” Tatum said.

Alongside the emphasis on crafts and live musical entertainment, the Richmond Parks and Recreation Department will be running a Kids Fest and Teen Fest.

Kids Fest will feature large inflatable games, stage acts, face painting, a petting zoo and pony rides. All activities are free, except the pony rides, which cost $3.

Stage acts will include magic shows, clowns and martial arts demonstrations, as well as dance and clogging exhibitions, Zooperstars and a reptile zoo exhibit.

The Teen zone will have free laser tag, boxing and a cash cube, plus other games and prizes.

The artisan activities, along with the Kids Fest and Teen Zone, will take place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The pottery festival will kick off Friday at 7 p.m. with local musician Dale Pyatt performing on the Irvine-McDowell Park bandstand. The Coco Yam Band of Louisville will take the stage at 8 p.m. performing a variety of world music from Afro-pop to Latin (salsa, cha-cha) and reggae among others.

The pottery festival isn’t the only thing going on in Richmond this weekend. The Knights of Columbus Antique Car Show will take place in downtown Richmond from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, and the Richmond Gallery Hop is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, with several shops and galleries putting on special exhibits and live entertainment.

The Richmond Area Arts Council will be hosting its 20th anniversary reception from 5 to 8 p.m. down the street from the park at the RAAC center on the corner of Lancaster Avenue and Water Street. The organization is encouraging its supporters to attend the reception and then enjoy the concert up the street, said Holly Neal, RAAC reception coordinator.

Each weekend of September is packed with activities in Madison County.

Next weekend the spotlight shifts to Berea for the Spoonbread Festival, Sept. 18-20. The Madison County Quarter Horse Club Show takes place at the Madison County Fairgrounds, Sept. 20

The weekend of Sept. 25-27 boasts four fun events. An International American Indian Pow Wow is scheduled for Battlefield Park on those dates, as is the Sorghum Festival and Swap Meet at the Madison County Fairgrounds.

The annual Siege of Boonesborough will be re-enacted that Saturday and Sunday at Fort Boonesborough State Park. The RAAC Artoberfest will take place that Saturday across the Kentucky River from Boonesborough at the Boat House Restaurant.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.