H-port Festival of Crafts to be held August 18

There will be something for just about every art lover at the 27th annual Hammondsport Festival of Crafts, which opens Saturday, Aug. 18, and continues through Sunday on the village square.

Festival visitors can expect plenty of new attractions, as well as the traditional features and faces. The annual craft show has built a huge following since its was spearheaded in 1980 by village resident Dr. Sam Pennise.

Pennise had just moved to Hammondsport with his wife and two children. "We started going to craft shows and eventually invited people to a craft show in Hammondsport," he recalled in a recent interview. "Forty brave individuals decided to come."

Now the show organizers send out 1,000 application and have whittled the number of vendors down to 125.

The craft festival also coincides with two traditional summer celebrations held by Hammondsport's Presbyterian Church and St. Gabriel's Roman Catholic Church. The Presbyterian Church Saturday will offer strawberry shortcake desserts to festival visitors, who can also visit St. Gabriel's annual summer fest and auction.

Parking is rarely a problem at the Hammondsport Festival of Crafts. A continuous shuttle service runs from the Glenn Curtiss Museum to Hammondsport, as well as to the Pleasant Valley Wine Company. The service will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.