Festifall Arts Market showcases local artists, history

October 27, 2024

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By Kate Alexander-Heyward | The Daily Tar Heel

Photo by Connor Ruesch

The fall season brings changing leaves and cooler temperatures to Chapel Hill, and with the fall weather a myriad of events crop up during this time throughout the town.

One such event, Festifall Arts Market: Carolina Day, hosts a variety of local vendors, artists, and musicians on Franklin Street for visitors and students to check out.

Carolina Day took place on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 12-5 pm. A warm and sunny day set the scene for the festival, and the vibrant booths, crowds of people and live music could be heard all down Franklin Street.

Festifall was hosted by Chapel Hill Community Arts and Culture, a division of the town with a mission to “inspire creativity and celebrate community for a better Chapel Hill.”

Many booths at Festifall were run by local artists such as Anna Myers, a Durham-based printmaker who sells home goods, decorations and bags through her business Little Dog Print Shop.

“I hope that people find an appreciation for the handmade,” Myers said. “All my work is pretty unique and labor intensive. So, it’s fun when people kind of can appreciate that and also connect with one of the animals or plants that I’ve carved and printed.”

Festifall also helps people engage with the arts by providing free access to the event, allowing visitors to easily browse and interact with the works. One of these opportunities was found at the SVG Ceramics booth where Sarah Gruber, a retired educator turned potter, had a display of her works and a sign encouraging people to touch the pieces.

“That’s the other thing about my work, is it’s about emotion, it’s about feeling, it’s a way to talk that cuts across everything, cuts across all boundaries,” Gruber said. “It’s fun, and it can also introduce people to the world of art when they haven’t really done it.”

Not only is Festifall an excellent opportunity for engaging with the arts and artists behind the works, but it also allows people to support them and bring home unique products. Dani Shirey, an executive assistant in the Health Sciences department at UNC, sold handcrafted soaps and apothecary products from her business, Twisted Raven Apothecary, at the event.

“We put so much into what we make as local artisans and knowing that you spend your hard-earned money to buy my products, it just means so much,” Shirey said.

In addition to the arts, Festifall also included various food vendors for attendees to check out, sample and buy treats from. One vendor, Chocolate Moonshine, displayed various flavors of their enticing fudge and offered people samples as they passed by.

“We go around the whole area of North Carolina doing pop-up events for state fairs and events like such,” Thura said, one of Chocolate Moonshine’s North Carolina regional operators and owners.

Festifall has something for everyone, from art, to food and even live music by talented musicians, which makes it no surprise that it drew large crowds and positive reviews.

“I think it’s so great to have events like this where they can bring in local artists, and I think the students really love this kind of stuff,” Caroline Sherer, a first-year graduate student majoring in social work at UNC, said.

The festival also gives local organizations the chance to interact with members of the Chapel Hill community, sharing stories and histories of the town.

“We thought a festival was a great way to meet people,” Thomas Jepsen, the treasurer of the Chapel Hill Historical Society, said. “It’s been a great experience for us and I think we will continue to do this on an annual basis.”

Always anticipated, Festifall gives people the chance to come together for exciting engagements with the arts, food, music and stories of Chapel Hill, fostering a supportive, tight-knit community.

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com