By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
NEWPORT — The small town of Newport will be bustling with excited fair and festival goers this weekend.
The 48th Annual Apple Pie Crafts Fair and Richards Free Library Book Festival kick off this Saturday, August 27, 2022, at 9 AM on the Newport Common, and will continue until 3 PM. Featuring over 100 local craft and food vendors, and live music, the annual tradition has drawn thousands of people to the small town over the years. As the name suggests, there will also be dozens of apple pie offerings with over 100 bakers entering into the apple pie contest.
“It’s a wonderful community tradition and a way to support the Arts Center. It’s also a way for the Arts Center to support the local creative community,” said Library Arts Center Director Kate Luppold.
The annual tradition has not only been an opportunity to build community, but also showcase the talent of local crafters the region has to offer. With an impressively wide variety of selections including wood working, fiber arts, pottery, maple syrup, and local honey, it’s a chance for the community to not only shop local, but meet the crafters as well.
The reputation of the Apple Pie Crafts Fair as a positive event has also played a large role in ensuring its longevity. Luppold stated that applications for vendors went online in February and had completely sold out within just a few short days. Encompassing the entire Newport Common, vendors will be set up around the perimeter, as well as an island of vendors down the center.
Throughout the day the fair will also be featuring live music from local bands and musicians including Tom Pirozzoli and Nick Scalera. Many residents participated in the Main Street Mural restoration and may recognize Scalera from the work he had done to help accomplish that goal.
The fair will also feature a number of local food vendors including Rocky’s Taqueria, Let’s Get Loaded food truck, and the Goshen Fire Department, who will all be serving delicious bites all around the common. The fair would most likely not be possible without the generous sponsorships of other local businesses in the area. Library Arts Center Marketing Director Fran Huot especially wanted to thank LaValley’s Building Supply and Sturm Ruger & Company. Other sponsors include National Field Representatives, Sugar River Bank, and Lake Sunapee Plumbing and Heating, among others.
The Richards Free Library Book Festival will also be taking place just across the street from 9 AM to 3 PM on Saturday. The festival offers the opportunity for the community to come together over a love of books and purchase their favorites at a deeply discounted price. The proceeds from the festival go toward projects to enrich the library. While the festival begins at 9, for a small donation of five dollars anyone can become a “friend” of the library and enjoy the 8 AM early bird special, in which they are able to get a first glance at the books being offered. Families are encouraged to come spend time at the festival, which will also feature a children’s tent and will offer things like children face painting until noon.
“We love that we get to participate in the town’s Apple Pie Crafts Fair, and we are really excited to be able to do the book festival again after not being able to do it over the past few years. We’re really looking forward to having everyone come down,” a representative with the Richards Free Library said of the event.
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