Swarm Season Again!

 

Now that it looks as if Spring has come to stay, we're at the beginning of swarm season for honeybees.  Honey bees make new colonies by swarming.  About half of the worker bees and the old queen fly out of the hive to find a new place to live, leaving the remaining workers to raise a new queen.  The departing bees are a swarm, and they land somewhere, typically a tree branch or some other resting place, and form a clump or ball, where they will will stay for as little as fifteen minutes, or as long as three days.  While they are in this clump, scout bees go out looking for a new place to live, some suitable hollow or cavity where the swarm can take up residence and build a new colony. 

 If you see one of these swarms, don't panic.  They aren't looking to attack you, and in fact, are fairly docile, as they have no stores or brood to defend.  But the one thing you should do is call or text me immediately at 618-713-4101.  I will be over ASAP with a hive body to give the swarm the home that they are looking for.


By hiving the swarm, we are actually increasing their odds of survival.  Numbers vary, but only about 25% of wild colonies survive their first year.  While beekeepers lose colonies every year as well, the survival rate in an apiary tends to be much higher.  So do the bees a favor and let us know as soon as you see a swarm.  We - and the bees - will be very grateful.

Guitar Cutting Board

Looking for something different?

I had a request for a cutting board shaped like a guitar.

 What do you think?

276 Art Exchange Grand Opening

276 Art Exchange in Equality, Illinois is having their grand opening this weekend.  We're very excited about this.  Ruth & John have a large selection of wine racks and kitchen boards there, keeping company with works from some very fine artists.  If you have admired the hand-carved utensils we have had at our shows, they are made by Ruth's brother Thom Goodin, and they will be there as well.

This looks like a well-thought-out, well-run enterprise, and should be a worthy addition to the Southern Illinois Art scene.  We are proud to be a part of this, and look forward to their growth in the area.  Do stop by at 142 W Lane Street, Equality, Illinois 62934, and lend them your support.

2020: Where to Find Us

Edit:  Because of the Covid 19 situation, many festivals and fairs have been cancelled or postponed.  We will try to keep abreast of the changing circumstances and update this post as it happens.  But if you have information regarding one of the shows below, please do not hesitate to let us know.  Many thanks,

Ruth & John

2019 was our biggest year ever at Ruth & John’s.  Every one of the shows we were doing again was bigger than in previous years.  We tried out a couple of new events and were very happy with how they turned our and with the promise they showed.  We’re looking forward to an even better year in 2020 (Are we setting our expectations too high?  It would awfully difficult to beat last year). 

 To help you know where to find us this season, below is a list of the shows we expect to be participating in this year.  This is very much a tentative list.  Sometimes shows fold without warning.  Several of the dates listed are my best guess, based on when they were held last year.  You can tell these by the (?) after the date.  And who knows, we may learn of some new shows (or new to us) and spring up where you least expect us.  So take this list as a starting point.  We’ll keep you updated as better information becomes available.

Here, then, is the list of next season’s shows, as best we can tell:

Maple Syrup Festival

               Touch of Nature

               Feb 22-23

We’re looking forward to our first show of the season, out at SIU’s Touch of Nature, nestled deep in the woods of Southern Illinois, on the shore of Little Grassy Lake.

Pride Fest

               Carbondale

              Date TBA

Join us at this local celebration of a national event.

DuQuoin State Fair

               DuQuoin, IL

               Sept. 5-6 (?)

We had a great time at our first appearance at the fair last year, we’re looking forward to an even better time this year.

Murphysboro Apple Festival

               Murphysboro, IL

               Sept. 17-18

A truly Southern Illinois event, a celebration of one of our best local products.

DuBoisCenter Fall Festival

               DuBois Center, Dubois, IL

               Oct. 3 (?)

We didn’t know what to expect last year, but even with a rain-curtailed afternoon, we had a great show and met some wonderful people.  Can’t wait to try it again this year.

Wine and Art Festival at Rend Lake

                Artisan’s Center, Whittington, IL

               Oct. 10-11

The grand-daddy of wine and art shows in the area.  We’ve been doing this for over fifteen years.

              

VultureFest

               Makanda, IL

               Oct.  17-18

Vultures. Makanda.  Us.  This is always a fun time, and last year was the biggest any of us have seen.  You won’t want to miss this show.

    

Heritage Festival

               Southeastern Illinois College, Harrisburg, IL

               Nov.  7-8

A return to the eastern part of Southern Illinois, we look forward to seeing you all in our usual corner of the gym.

AutumnFest

                John A. Logan College, Carterville, IL

               Nov.  14-15

What a great show!  We love doing this one, as it has the largest group of the best artists and craftspeople in Southern Illinois.

Arts and Crafts Extravaganza

               Show-Me Center, Cape Girardeau, MO

               Nov.  21-22

 Our only out-of-state show last year, a chance to meet a whole new group of people.

Holiday Craft Sale

               SIU Student Center, Carbondale, IL

               Dec. 3-5

The grand finale, a three-day blowout in the student center at SIU.  We’re always amazed at how this show gets bigger and better every year.

So there you have it, the list of the shows we expect to be at this year.  Again, some of these dates are tentative, some may not happen, new shows may get added.  Check back here and at our Facebook page for regular updates.  And hey, if there is a particular show not on this list that you’d like to see us at, drop us line.  We’d love to hear from you.

           

276 Art Exchange, Equality, Illinois

The 276 Art Exchange in Equality, Illinois, is having their grand opening next week on Saturday, January 18.  This will be a great opportunity to stop by and check out Southern Illinois' newest addition to the artistic community. 

As you can see, they have a number of Ruth & John's pieces there, and we are proud to be a part of this.  They have a beautiful building, and have put a lot of time, effort, and thought into this endeavor.  We hope everyone will turn out to give them their support.

276 Art Exchange

Big news! Ruth & John have their wooden wine racks, accessories, and cutting boards in a new gallery. Look for our stuff at the 276 Art Exchange, 142 W Lane Street, Equality, Illinois.

 I stopped by with an assortment of pieces, figuring that they would pick a few which they thought would sell to put in their gallery.  Turns out they took everything I brought!  Not only that, they put them into their display which looks a lot better than my own.  Now I need to find a way to up my game.

The 276 Art Exchange is a beautiful gallery, with a high caliber of art.  They've just opened up, but they've been working on this for two years, so it seems to be a well thought out proposition.  This is a great addition to the Southern Illinois art community, and we encourage everyone to take a trip and check them out.

Custom Made Cutting Board

A couple of quick pictures of a special order I just finished.  This is a solid cherry cutting board, thirty inches long by fourteen inches wide by about two inches thick, with live edges on two sides.  It was coated with mineral oil, then finished with a mineral oil/beeswax paste.  Pretty nice, eh?

 Is there something you need made?  Let us know what we can do for you.