The 36th Annual Summer Arts Festival Returned!

After a two-year hiatus due to circumstances beyond our control, the Arts at Hayfield Summer Arts Festival was back!  On Sunday, August 28, more than 120 artisans, performers, crafters, food vendors, and more than 2200 visitors converged on the campus grounds of Penn State Wilkes-Barre in Lehman, PA to celebrate the 36th Annual Arts at Hayfield Summer Festival. The event ran from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

From 11:30 until closing there was a steady string of performances including folk rock, bluegrass, chamber music, magic, juggling, costumed storytelling, and a roving violinist ending the day.  Food vendors served up a variety of festival foods including burgers, wraps, Middle Eastern fare, chicken tenders, potato pancakes, haluski, pierogies, snow cones, pizza, hot dogs, kielbasa, funnel cakes, piggies, mac and cheese, desserts, fresh lemonade, ice cream, gelatos, and sundaes.

The craft tent was the place to pick up free balloons and will feature face painting, and projects for children all day. Helen Grebski offered a variety of special craft projects for all ages. Hundreds of visitors joined in conversations, storytelling, crafts, art projects, and photographs with the costumed Princesses and Heroes at the Gazebo from 1:30-3:30.

Dr. Violet Major hosted an open house for the Friedman Observatory from 11-12. The Master Gardeners were available all day to answer gardening questions. 

Three tours of the historical Hayfield House took place at 11:00 AM, 1:15 PM, and 3:00 PM. This was a great opportunity to learn some local history about the house and the life and times of John Conyngham, the gentleman farmer whose interest in farming gave rise to Hayfield Farms in 1910. A DVD history of the farm that was made from primary sources to honor its 100th anniversary is available for sale. 

The requested donation for adults of $2 supported an annual achievement award for an arts-oriented Penn State campus student, public performances and arts programs offered to the larger community by other groups in the Wyoming Valley area, and contributes to restoration projects for Hayfield House and other art enrichment activities and programs on the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus.

For more information, contact the Festival Chairperson, Janis Winter, at 570-675-9232, or jrw4@psu.edu.

OLD NEWS! 2020 - THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

Penn State Wilkes-Barre Student Helped Create a Virtual Craft Fair

After Arts at Hayfield canceled both of its planned 2020 craft shows, volunteers began formulating a plan so the show could go on – with the assistance of a Penn State Wilkes-Barre student who is using her skills to help the event go virtual.

The Hometown Traditions Virtual Craft Fair launched on September 6, 2020, and continued through August 2021.

Arts at Hayfield has a long tradition of raising funds to support local arts programs and artists as well as supplying scholarships to Penn State Wilkes-Barre students. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and concern for patrons’ safety and well-being, the organization was forced to cancel both the 2020 Summer Arts Festival and Homespun Holiday Craft Show.

As an alternative to the live on-campus craft shows, organization volunteers worked together to create a craft fair to promote crafters and vendors. Jonathan Pineno, president; Janis Winter, treasurer; William Bachman, marketing and promotions, and Autumn Resauit, social media, and marketing coordinator, developed the Hometown Traditions Virtual Craft Fair, which pays homage to the history of Arts at Hayfield craft fairs that have been hosted at Penn State Wilkes-Barre for 35 years.

The 2020 virtual craft fair connected crafters to visitors through Facebook and the Arts at Hayfield website. Throughout the coming weeks, Arts at Hayfield will post a featured crafter to help them gain exposure to Arts at Hayfield craft show patrons. Those interested in an item they see during the virtual event were able to visit the crafters’ websites or contact the crafter to make a purchase.

Autumn Resauit worked with Pineno, her mentor, to create a proposal and advertisement pieces for the virtual craft fair. Resauit continued managing the Facebook page, where she created graphics and developed posts until September 2021.

Autumn stated: "Everything that I know about social media, event promotion, and communications is from my Penn State courses,” she said. “Volunteering with Arts at Hayfield has given me the chance to combine my passion for the arts and to apply what I have learned in my courses.”   

Resauit also said helping the craft show continue is important to her because as a student herself, she knows how important the scholarships offered at Penn State Wilkes-Barre are. “I’m so passionate about helping Arts at Hayfield because it benefits students. I know that as a student, any help is welcomed,” she said.