Cumberland Artisans for Creative Expression looking for festival participants

By Foy and Mildred Sperring / Chronicle contributors

August 07, 2008 04:47 pm

— Cumberland Artisans for Creative Expression (CACE) has joined Monterey’s fall Standing Stone Festival and is inviting applications from artisans and crafters. The building, on downtown Main Street in Monterey, has limited indoor space but outdoor space is also available all along Main Street, says CACE Co-Chair Betty Zarnitz. The festival is part of Standing Stone Day, Saturday, Oct. 11, and is sponsored by the Monterey Historical Society comprising local civic groups and the Monterey Commerce Association.
“This is an expanded event from previous Standing Stone festivals and promises to be full of exciting and diverse activities,” says CACE President Sharron Eckert. Guidelines and an application to purchase booth space are available at CACE’s Web site, www.cumberlandart.com. Eckert adds, “CACE has rented a recently vacated building and will be managing the booth space inside that building. The Standing Stone Events Committee will be handling all other applications (outside craft space, entertainment, food vendors). Therefore applications need to be sent to one of two appropriate places.”
Some of the planned downtown events include a car and motorcycle show, the first Monterey Grand Prix riding lawnmower races, and the arrival of an excursion train from the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville; there will also be a quilt show, artisans and crafters booths, food vendors, and a Civil War skirmish. Several music stages are also included in the festival’s downtown area where streets will be closed to traffic and open to walking and shopping. Additionally, enjoy a giant flea market at the park. More specific details about the festival and events will follow in future stories. It’s not too early to set aside Saturday, Oct. 11, for Standing Stone Day.
CACE is a not-for-profit volunteer organization in its fifth year with more than 100 members impacting the area with a mission “to identify, support, and encourage the varied artistic and creative individuals and groups within Cumberland County Tennessee.” For more information contact President Sharron Eckert, 277-5425.