Page 7 - 2025 Shaker Woods Festival Tab

SUNSHINE ARTIST MAGAZINE
Article from the August/September 2024 Issue
Shaker Woods F ESTIVAL 7
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sell their wares.
No. 1 in Classic & Contemporary Craft Shows - Shaker Woods Festival
he Shaker Woods Festival features
more than 200 craftspeople dressed period clothing as they demonstrate and
It is held on three consecutive weekends in Columbiana, Ohio. The sales crafters and artisans made in 2023 put this show at the top of the Classic & Contemporary Craft Shows category in Sunshine Artist’s 200 Best for 2024.
“We cannot even begin to express our
gratitude for being chosen No. 1 in the nation
for being the best of the best in contemporary
craft shows,” said Lana Wilt. “What an honor
for this prestigious award and a heart-filled thank you to our crafters, artisans, and concessioners for making this possible.”
Wilt and her husband, Rob, own the show and the grounds. Since taking over the business from her parents in 2012, they’ve sought this moment, and she said learning they were No. 1 was breathtaking.
She explained the show’s beginning. “Starting with an apple butter festival and a handful of crafters in the fall of 1981 at Ferguson’s Farm Market, thoughts were pondered of creating a craft show behind the market using 60 acres for parking and the process of clearing out 10 acres of wood for crafters to sell their handmade wares,” Wilt said. “In 1982, the dream became reality, and Shaker Woods Festival was born. Through sweat and tears for years to come, Sam and Sue Ferguson pushed through many heartaches, along with success of their achievements, to form one of America’s family annual events. I began working with my parents full time in 1999 to learn the trade and how to continue the success of the show.” Wilt said that without her parents’ teachings, they would not have accomplished what they have thus far. “With pristine awards from Sunshine Arist, Travelocity, and National Geographic, we found our place on the map,” she said.
The jurying process for this summer festival begins in January and is completed by mid-February. “Crafters and artisans are given the opportunity to interview with
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