35th arts, crafts festival boasts new layout

Submitted photo by Aiken's Makin.

Aiken's Makin' returns to downtown in less than one month, bringing with it more than 190 vendors and a new layout.

A total of 179 exhibitors and 27 food vendors are slated to line Park Avenue Sept. 9-10 for the two-day arts and crafts event, which is in its 35th year.

Every shopper - be they serious or casual - can find unique pieces of art and handmade crafts, including pottery, glass, jewelry, yard art, baked goods, homemade candy, children's clothing and accessories.

Each vendor is juried after submitting an application to participate in Aiken's Makin' to ensure the selection is unique and fresh each year.

"There is truly going to be something for every type of shopper," said Dianne Phillips, director of finance and membership development for the Greater Aiken Chamber of Commerce.

The event this year will welcome 54 crafters who were not part of the 2010 lineup. Forty-one of those are crafters who have never participated in Aiken's Makin'.

"The quality of work we're bringing in has gotten better and better over the years," said Aiken's Makin' co-chair Sheila Taylor. "I suggest you come downtown on Friday and Saturday as the selections may change each day, especially with the artisans who make one-of-a-kind pieces. I guarantee there will be something for people of all ages."

Chesterfield Street to Union Street will be closed to vehicle traffic Sept. 9 and 10, and the layout of the vendors has changed.

Organizers shifted the majority of vendors out of the Park Avenue parkways, working off suggestions gathered last year and with the Aiken Department of Public Safety.

This way, organizers said, those with mobility issues or those pushing strollers won't have to deal with uneven terrain.

"The whole process is to make it user-friendly," said Aiken's Makin' co-chair John McMichael. "People won't have to go through the parkways; everything is in the street. All the vendors are facing Park Avenue."

Aiken's Makin' will extend down Park Avenue to in front of the City of Aiken Visitor's Center and Train Museum and be capped off there by three food vendors, including the Laughing Crab which proved to be quite popular last year.

Phillips said the Visitor's Center and Train Museum will be open during Aiken's Makin'.

There will be live entertainment throughout the day Saturday, Sept. 10, with acts including Kidz Creek, Carolina Shakers and the Savannah River Stringband.

Organizers said an estimated 30,000 people visit the event every year.

"We have a tremendous cadre of volunteers this year," said McMichael. "It is nice to be in a community that works in a positive way to bring an event together. It speaks well of Aiken. It is a wonderful reflection of Aiken. It is so much fun to see the smiles on so many faces."

Aiken's Makin's hours are Friday, Sept. 9, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, call the Chamber of Commerce at 641-1111.