This Festival Is for Everyone

By Riki Bolster

Question: What do a bookmobile, a Bonsai tree, a bird box, a lobster roll, a nine-hole mini-golf course, three music stages, and numerous artists’ booths have in common? Answer: the Ormewood Park Makers Festival on Saturday, Oct. 10, sponsored by South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development (SAND) and Halfway Crooks.

Located in the heart of the Ormewood Park community (at the corner of Woodland and Delaware avenues), the festival, in addition to highlighting the creativity of makers in the community, aims to provide activities for children in the Kids Zone as well as plenty of food choices, lots of music, and workshops for those interested in learning new skills.

“That’s the most kids I’ve seen at the festival!” neighbor Brent Huff exclaimed about last year’s event. Festival organizers have been working to provide even more experiences for the kids who attend. Parked on Delaware Avenue across from the Kids Zone, the Fulton County Libraries Bookmobile will open its doors for books, a story time, and library card registration.

Returning with a plethora of activities will be Here-We-Grow, a mobile children’s activity business who will bring “curated play experiences for children from birth to age 9” to the event. Also returning will be the East Atlanta Kids Club with its nine-hole mini-golf course. “We lean into community festivals,” Ryan Downey, director of the club, said. “We’d rather provide experiences.”

This year, festival-goers will have the opportunity to buy a chance ($5 each) at winning raffle prizes. The prizes include something for everyone – packages for a local foodie, family fun days, date night, and Trolley Cat artwork from Catlanta.

The Ormewood Park Makers Festival offers attendees numerous opportunities to learn new skills or crafts. The choices of workshops on the festival’s website vary from growing a Bonsai tree to building a bird box to creating your own illustrated travel journal. You can choose the workshop that suits you at www.makersfest.org.

Those organized people who are already doing their holiday shopping, will find many choices among the jewelry, pottery, hand-bound books, and creative arts booths. If you are a maker, you may still find a spot for your work among the booths that are already committed. Just go to www.makersfest.org.

Food vendors will offer a variety of choices – from hot dogs to lobster rolls, from coffee to Coffyn Pies to Chinese cuisine, from pizza to pastries to popsicles.

Plenty of music will play on three stages. The two satellite stage acts (one at Eastwood and Delaware avenues, the other at Woodland and Eden avenues) will perform starting at 11:30 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. In the shade of the magnolias at the corner of Woodland and Delaware avenues, musicians at the main stage will strike up at 12 p.m. and perform on the hour, with the headliners playing at 5 p.m.to end the festival. Check the website for specific performers and the schedule.

Many community businesses and organizations have gotten in the act as sponsors and in-kind donors of the festival, including Halidom Eatery, WRFG, Red’s Beer Garden, Ormewood Church, Paula Properties, Earthshaking Music, Doodie Calls, Here We Grow, and East Atlanta Kids Club.