Heritage Festival

Coming up - the 35th  annual Heritage Festival at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg.  We'll be back in the gymnasium with all sorts of new products just for the holidays.  People come from all around for this show, you won't want to miss it.

Christmas Shows

Yes, I know, we haven't even gotten to trick or treating yet, but I wanted to give you a heads up on our schedule for the rest of the season.  I know that many of you plan further ahead than I do, and want to get your shopping done early.  To that end, here is a list of the shows we have coming up till the end of the year.


October 20-21
Vulture Fest
Makanda, IL

OK, there is no stretch of the imagination by which this can be called a Christmas Show, but is is our next event, and a chance for you to get some gifts out of the way early.  Even if you don't want to do any shopping, this is still a great event, and a wonderful opportunity to get away from it all.

November 3-4
Heritage Festival
Southeastern Illinois College
Harrisburg, IL

We'll be back on the other side of Southern Illinois for this one, a great chance for our fans who live farther away to come stock up without trekking over to the Carbondale area.  This is also a great chance to see artist whom we don't see at most of our other shows.  If you go, keep exploring; they have artists tucked away in all sorts of nooks and crannies, and even after all my looking around, I'm not sure I caught everyone.  We will be easy to find, however, just look for us at our spot in the corner of the gym.

November 10-11
Autumnfest
John A. Logan College
Carterville, IL

This is a consistently great show for artists and patrons alike.  This is the largest Christmas show in the area of which I am aware, and the level is always high.  Artists come from far away for this show.  If you want to find a gift which you can be sure no one else is giving, this is the place to go.  People line up for the start of this one, but don't worry; we'll have plenty for everyone whenever you come.  We will be in our accustomed spot downstairs in the cafeteria.

November 29, 30, December 1
Holiday Craft Sale
SIU Student Center
Carbondale, IL

One of our very favorite shows, last year was our best show ever.  This three day show keeps us busy, and if you stop by our usual place at the bottom of the escalators you may find a crowd in our booth.  Not to worry, we manage to take care of everyone who comes in.  One of the best things about this show, for us, is the diversity of people we meet.  We get a lot of students with just a few dollars to spend who are delighted at how much they can get for their money.  We get faculty and staff who have come to rely on us for their gifts.  And because it's near the end of the semester, we always see quite a few parents and other out-of-towners who are amazed at the quality of the work they see. 

We are very happy and proud to know that we help brighten the holidays for so many people.  We fill a lot of stockings and we wind up under a lot of Christmas trees.  And, as always, if we don't have quite what you're looking for, talk to us at the show or get in touch afterward (ruthandjohns@gmail.com).  We can make something extra special just for you.  We look forward to seeing you.

Vulture Fest

Capistrano can keep their swallows, we have vultures!  Hundreds of the birds roost in the hills around Makanda, and the Makanda Vulture Fest pays tribute to these amazing avians.  I keep running onto people who don't know about this unique show, and it makes me wonder why the word hasn't gotten out.  How do you describe Vulture Fest to someone who's never been there?  The word I keep falling back on is "funky."  First, there's Makanda itself, a bastion of hippydom.  Then there are the bands, one line-up in the pavilion, another in the Rainmaker's Garden.  There are the artists, as eclectic a bunch as you will find at any show in Southern Illinois.  All-in-all, an event unlike any other.  If you've not been, you owe it to yourself to make the trip.  If you have been, you know what I'm talking about.






Saturday October 20 
Sunday October 21

Downtown Wine & Art Fair

We'll be back at the latest installment of the Downtown Art & Wine Fair in Carbondale's Town Square, Saturday, Oct. 6, 3-9pm at the corner of Jackson and Washington.  The bands are all new to us, Mr. Swamp Fox, The Jewels, and White Gold Centerfold.  Anybody know anything about them? 

Southern Illinois Irish Festival

We return to the Southern Illinois Irish Festival this year at Turley Park in Carbondale, IL.

	Saturday, Oct. 6 at 10:00a
	Sunday, Oct. 7 at 11:00a

This is a great celebration of everything Celtic (and their definition of Celtic includes a great deal).  Come on out and enjoy a great time in the Southern Illinois sun, good food, good drinks, good music, a good time all around.