By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

PORTLAND, Ind. — Last year, when Natalie McKalip took a group of second graders to Fiber Fest for the first time, she wasn’t quite sure how they would react.

After seeing how entertained and attentive they seemed to be, she’s more than ready to return this year.

“That trip was just such a big wow factor for the students,” said McKalip, an elementary art teacher at Deerfield Elementary in Randolph County, Ind. “At first, you just don’t know what to anticipate. It was such a joy to see students react as they did.”
The 2010 version of Fiber Fest & Spin-In is March 12-13 at the Jay County Fairgrounds in Portland.

Fiber Fest gives visitors a chance to see artisans work with various forms of fibers, such as those from sheep, buffalo, llamas, alpaca and rabbits, said Gyneth Augsburger, executive director of Jay County Tourism.

“This is a very unique event,” she said. “It gives a good understanding of how all of this is done. You can learn how our ancestors used to live years ago. If we don’t let our grandkids know how our forefathers lived and used fiber, this will become a lost art.”

The event includes classes Friday and Saturday, with some also scheduled for Thursday evening. Topics include spinning, wet felting, rug hooking and spindling.

Vendors will be available Friday and Saturday, and fiber artisans on Saturday. A petting zoo is scheduled for Friday, which is also designated Educational Day.

“This provides a life-lasting kind of memory,” McKalip said. “To find all these artisans in one place is wonderful. No school would be able to afford to bring them all in separately.”

Fiber Fest began in 2004 as the Giant Spin-In. It became a two-day event the next year. Attendance has grown from a few hundred the first year to about 1,000 last year, Augsburger said. Visitors come from Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

The family-friendly event is educational for kids of all ages, and especially allows children to learn more about some of the work their grandmothers may have done, McKalip said. “It’s a great chance to see what our local farmers are doing. It goes back to the olden days. It’s a good chance for fiber artists to get together, meet as a group, and sell their fiber to the public.”

Proceeds from a Friday evening benefit supper will be given to a Jay County food bank. For $5, participants will get a meal of soup, pie or cake, and a drink. They will also receive a handmade bowl made by local artisans.

Fiber Fest is open to the public Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to Educational Day is $1, with students of preschool age and under admitted free. There is no admission charge on Saturday, but there is a charge for most classes. The event is sponsored by the Jay County Visitor & Tourism Bureau. For more information and to register for classes, see www.visitjaycounty.com, or call 877-726-4481.