It's a treasure hunt

The chance of finding a vintage bakelite button from the 1940s or a Czechoslovakian bead dating back to the 1880s brought bead hunters from all over the country to Sisters on Saturday and Sunday, August 6-7.

They braved temperatures in the 90s to explore the wares of 29 vendors who pitched tents on the Village Green.

Local beader and jewelry-maker Kate Aspen was a vendor at the show.

"People definitely came looking for stuff they wanted and there were a lot of out-of-town people, people from Chicago and Wisconsin, places like that."

According to Aspen, many people collect beads and buttons as a hobby; some make jewelry; and many others incorporate beads and buttons into other art forms such as quilts or knitted garments.

Fashion plays a role, too, Aspen said. She said that a sort of retro bohemian look is "in" and it lends itself to beads from Tibet and India.

"People are looking for that stuff and they're wearing it," she said.

While many vendors buy and sell (or trade) manufactured beads, most of which came originally from Czechoslovakia, others cut stone or blow glass to make beads. Aspen was impressed by the wares of such vendors at the Bead Stampede.

"They were beautiful," she said.

The Sisters Bead Stampede is in its second year, sponsored by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce. Chamber events coordinator Jeri Buckmann was pleased with the growth of the fair, which had 12 vendors last year and more than doubled its offerings with 29 this summer.

Buckmann said that beading and bead shows are a "huge craze" right now and that Sisters filled a niche that was crying out for someone to jump in.

She said there are shows in Portland, Salem and Washington "but (there was) none in Central Oregon."

The Sisters Bead Stampede filled the gap and appears to be here to stay.