Danville Fall Crafts Festival – Fall into Fun!
 DANVIILLE - Get ready to fall into fun when the 21st annual Danville Fall Crafts Festival returns to beautiful downtown Danville on Saturday and Sunday, October 20 and 21, 10 am-5 pm.
Hosted by the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Danville, this admission-free, family-friendly event on Hartz Avenue features something for everyone – including the return of the popular Glass Pumpkin Patch with over 1,000 glass pumpkins of every size and shape.
Festival-goers can meet and mingle with 200 talented artisans as they display work ranging from ceramics, fiber, wood, leather and metalwork to jewelry, glass, photography and mixed-media art pieces.
“The Danville Fall Crafts Festival is family-friendly and community oriented – it’s a perfect opportunity to shop and bring the children,” says Shelby McNamara, president of the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce. “And of course everyone’s looking forward to the return of the Glass Pumpkin Patch.”
Street corner musicians will have visitors tapping their toes to Caribbean steel drum rhythms and the lively sound of marimba music, while strolling though the colorful festival booths and attractions.
The youngsters won’t want to miss the annual Halloween Costume Parade on Saturday, October 20, starting at 10 a.m. at the corner of School & Hartz Avenue as the start of the parade, when children and their parents enjoy safe trick-or-treating with the merchants and artists along Hartz Avenue. Other children’s activities include face painting, inflatables fun and train rides.
For adults, the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce Beverage Garden offers wine and microbrews. And along with the many Prospect merchant activities, new this year is the first annual Fall Festival Car Show held along Prospect near Front Street.
The festival also offers plenty of free parking in city-owned lots and curbside spaces (the two-hour parking limit will not be enforced). Or bring your bike and take advantage of the convenient Bike Station located near Hartz Way.
For more information, call (925) 837-4400 or visit www.mlaproductions.com.
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A very special pumpkin patch
DANVILLE - Cinderella would love the Danville Fall Crafts Festival – where else could she find more than 1,000 gorgeous glass pumpkins? Back by popular demand, the Glass Pumpkin Patch was a crowd favorite two years ago and features glass pumpkins of every sort, from charming miniatures less than three inches tall to blown-glass beauties more than a foot high, all displayed so that visitors can walk among them.
“You wouldn’t believe how many different kinds of pumpkins people can make,” says Gigi Erikson, the attraction’s organizer. A glass artist herself, Gigi creates pumpkins in every color and shape for the festival. She calls the 60-by-20-foot display “a beautiful little harvest festival,” noting that other glass items such as flowers, fruits and vegetables also will be displayed. A percentage of the proceeds from the Glass Pumpkin Patch, located on Prospect Avenue at Hartz, will benefit San Ramon Valley High School.
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call (925) 837-4400.
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Art and music: A match made in Danville!
DANVILLE- The festival will be alive with the sound of music again this year, thanks to a number of talented street corner musicians.
Mary Spalding, founder of San Francisco’s Steel Jam, contributes the contagious fun of steel drum music. Her wide and lively repertoire appeals to every listener, whether you’re a fan of reggae, calypso, salsa, disco or pop. Mary has devoted the last 25 years to studying and performing steel drum music, including participating in Trinidad competitions and Carnival celebrations. “Steel drum music is guaranteed to make you smile,” promises Mary.
How can wood sing? Just ask Laura Mallon, who founded Singing Wood Marimba Centre in Santa Cruz in 2002. Performing on seven handmade wooden marimbas, Laura and her ensemble play high-energy “dance and trance music” to share the joyous sounds of marimba with festival-goers.
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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Building a life together as potters
DANVILLE - For Gene and Beverly Freeburg, art is a family affair. After Gene retired, this Redmond, Washington, couple turned a hobby into a career and have been handcrafting pottery together for nearly 40 years now. The Freeburgs create functional pottery such as mugs, bowls, vases and teapots, says Beverly, because “we want people to use our pieces, not just look at them.”
Their pottery is notable for its distinctive glazes, from their flame-colored bowls with sculpted edges to tall pitchers the dappled green of a forest glen. Largely self-taught, Gene and Beverly produce pieces that look delicately artistic but are safe for the oven, dishwasher and microwave. The two work together on all aspects of production including designing, hand throwing and firing the pieces, packing the pottery for shipping and setting up shows. Their secret for a long-married couple maintaining a successful business together? “We laugh a lot,” says Beverly.
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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Carving art from nature, one bear at a time
DANVILLE - Glen Sievert grew up in lumberjack country – Humboldt County, California – but says he decided to “leave the logging to the loggers” and set off for San Francisco to use his chainsaw to make art. Since 1983, Glen has been creating his unique wood carvings, alive with natural warmth. His imaginative designs range from intricately detailed eagles and dragons to his ever-popular bears, which make up about 90 percent of his work. “You name it, I carve it,” he says, “but people are wild for the bears.”
A musician and oil painter as well, this Ukiah artist travels to Thailand every year to learn new carving techniques. He also creates landmark pieces up to 20 feet high, carved out of stumps that otherwise would be destroyed; commissioned by communities and individuals, these striking carvings can be seen throughout the Bay Area. For more information and photos of Glen’s work, see: http://chainsawart.net
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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This timing couldn’t be better
DANVILLE - Lance MacKenzie makes time come alive. This Sacramento artist creates uniquely handcrafted pieces, all individually boxed and framed, from precision watch parts. The subjects of Lance’s designs range from whimsical to wondrous: an antique pickup truck sits solidly on watch-face wheels; a set of delicately balanced scales weigh tiny timepiece parts; a beautifully crafted motorcycle (entitled “Time Machine”) seems poised to roar away. Sailboats, sports cars, animals and many other objects all look as if they might start ticking again at any moment.
“People are fascinated by the precision of watches,” says Lance, who enjoys having fun with the names of his pieces – from an owl he calls “Nightwatch” to a dog titled, of course, “Watch Dog.” One of Lance’s best sellers is an intricate watch-piece heart that he named “Time for Love.” For a closer look at these miniature marvels, take a minute to explore Lance’s web site: www.timecraftdesigns.com
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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Collectible treasures from tools and trinkets
DANVILLE - Huy Nguyen and Jack Le combine their considerable talents to carry out Metal Souls’ motto: “We bring scrap metal to life.” Using recycled and discarded materials ranging from spark plugs and bike chains to transmission gears, the two San Leandro artists transform these simple materials into sci-fi creatures, vehicles, animals, insects, sports figurines and other meticulously made art pieces.
Huy designs and assembles the sculptures, often using toys as prototypes; Jack specializes in constructing the heads of the intricate pieces. Like making metal magic, they work and weld the miscellaneous scrap pieces together to become fantastic figures. Each sculpture is then carefully coated and polished to protect it for a lifetime. Huy and Jack’s pieces appeal to new customers as well as to devoted collectors. “People are crazy about them, even the first time they see them,” says Jack. Hundreds of imaginative Metal Souls pieces can be seen at: www.metalsouls.com
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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Looking at the world through colorful windows
DANVILLE - It’s not surprising that garlic is one of Whitney Pintello’s inspirations – she lives in Gilroy, California, the garlic capital of the world, where her artwork took first place in the 2012 Gilroy Garlic Festival poster contest. A mixed-media artist with a creative arts degree, Whitney works in a variety of styles but found her favorite medium 10 years ago: reverse glass painting on vintage windows salvaged from old homes. Her colorful designs are bold and contemporary, yet also warmly rustic.
“This area is so rich with beautiful trees, farms, fruits and flowers,” says Whitney, who especially enjoys painting wine and food motifs; her reverse glass window paintings are a familiar sight at many restaurants, wine bars and wineries in the Gilroy area. A number of window paintings can be seen on Whitney’s web site, along with examples of her murals, faux finish interiors and paintings on canvas: www.whitneypintelloddesigns.com
Come out and enjoy all the beauty of Danville at the Danville Fall Crafts Festival on October 20 & 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For those wishing to park close by, there will be unlimited parking in all city-owned parking lots and along street curbside parking spaces. For more information visit www.mlaproductions.com or call 925-837-4400.
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