Filed under: Activities & Attractions, Family Camping, Family Day Trips, Uncategorized

Arts and Crafts on a Summer Day

July 22, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment

Print This Post ·

If you are camping or visiting Taos, New Mexico the second weekend in June next spring, make plans to attend the Taos Annual Arts and Crafts Fair at Kit Carson Park, located in the middle of town. Vendors from all over the southwest exhibit and sell their wares for very reasonable prices. Having experienced this event for the first time this year, I was impressed with the wide variety of merchandise available.

One booth carried exquisitely handmade clothing for women, both younger and more mature. Lovely dresses, skirts and blouses, hung near serviceable and attractive aprons. The workmanship was exceptional; the variety of colors and patterns, seemingly endless.

Taos, being the artist’s community it is, several booths carried various types of artwork. Photographs of the spectacular terrain and the breathtaking Rocky Mountains were among the items for sale. Paintings of various Taos and mountain scenes were also available for purchase. Still another booth carried only drums, handmade by members of a local tribe. Purchasers were carefully instructed on the care necessary for one of the beautiful drums before a purchase was made.

Jewelry was available in several of the booths as well. One woman explained she and her husband made necklaces, bracelets and earrings by combing various chemicals with different metals to make the some of the most beautiful items I saw. Another man carried bracelets with various themes: joy, peace, angels and the like. I couldn’t resist purchasing a guardian angel bracelet as it was near Father’s Day and it reminded me of my own Guardian angel, my father. The price: a mere $19. He had come down from Colorado and said he would definitely return next year.

Still other booths contained pricier items. Pieces resembling kachina-type dolls and figures for the home were contained in a booth near the end. I found one of these, a welcoming spirit to sit at the entrance to a home, that I would have loved to purchase for my own home, but the $600 price tag put it a bit out of my league. To be fair, there were some less expensive items in this booth, but once I saw that particular one, nothing else would do. So I walked on.

Even if you only come to look, it is worth the trip to the Annual Taos Arts and Crafts Fair. There are unique and unusual items here that you may only find in Taos—and certainly not at your average Craft Fair. It is worth a stop when your are camping in Taos, or even if you’re just passing through.

Read more about New Mexico camping and things to do in New Mexico.