Depot Park in downtown Clarkston was overflowing with people last weekend at the Crafts and Cider Festival.
The Festival, sponsored by the Clarkston Community Historical Society (CCHS), enjoyed its 29th year of existence. A total of 99 artists showcased their works at the two-day event.
“It was awesome,” CCHS president Jennifer Arkwright said. “It could not have gone better. There were no hitches and everything ran smoothly.”
The Festival is the main fundraiser for the CCHS and more specifically the Clarkston Historical Museum. This year the preliminary numbers had $17,000 raised for the museum which is located in the Independence Township Library.
In addition to the artists there were musical entertainment and local organizations running food booths. New this year was a shuttle service, provided by the CCHS, which alleviated some of the parking problems.
“The non-profit groups did a fantastic job with the food. There was quite a variety,” Arkwright said. “We got great feedback on the artists too. Everybody enjoyed the selections and said everything was reasonably priced.”
The event has become a staple of early fall in Clarkston.
“I think everybody who went to the event ran into somebody they knew,” Arkwright said.
While many locals came out for the event, people from around Metro Detroit also made the trip to the festival.
“This is really a great event. Our family makes the trip every year,” Utica resident Brian Corby said. “They always have a wide variety of artists which is nice.”
Another staple of the event is the cider and doughnuts being sold by the CCHS. They were a big hit again this year with the CCHS selling out at around 3 p.m. on Sunday.