Harvest Faire draws big crowds to sunny streets of Sisters

The swan song of summer events brought large crowds to Sisters - and the weather could not have been more accommodating.

Last Saturday and Sunday's autumn event boasts one of the highest attendance of any of the fairs that are hosted annually by the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce.

"This is the 27th year of the fair, and it seems like it gets better every year," said Jeri Buckmann, events coordinator for the Sisters chamber.

As the fair is late in the season, there is always the possibility of unpleasant weather which can cause some nervous nail biting. There were no such worries this year.

"Everything seemed to be perfect. The weather cooperated. I don't think we could have asked for any nicer weather. The variety is better, and the quality of vendors is better this year. We have 40 more vendors this year than we had last year," said Buckmann.

Carved Christmas tree ornaments and figurines accompanied by wall and table decorations made to look like skis expanded the Christmas theme of this year's harvest event. And in spite of the warm and sunny weather, the Christmas booths were drawing some of the largest crowds.

"I really hadn't planned on buying any Christmas stuff, but look at what I am doing," said Barbara Peebles of Portland. "These ornaments and things are so nice. It is hard to find stuff this nice, and I am already thinking about table decorations for the season. My husband thinks I am out of my mind."

The Harvest Faire was a destination for Peebles.

"We came here by accident last year. We were on our way to Sunriver, and after getting some gas we were turning around and saw the street was closed. There was a lot going on so we stopped. Actually, that was the first time we had ever stopped in Sisters other than for gas. That was all it took. We came back on purpose this year," she said.

At one booth a traditional Halloween witch surrounded a wide variety of Santa dolls, ranging from the traditional European St. Nicholas to a biker Santa decked out in leathers and carrying a Harley under his arm were attracting much attention. They were the work of Linda McCullough.

"This is the first time Linda has been here," said Jim Faust, who drove down with McCullough from Northwest Montana just to do the fair.

"She makes these out of recycled fur coats. She makes her own hands and faces out of porcelain. She makes the beards from raw wool; she buys it, washes it and combs it. She makes them one at a time, and each one is unique."

There were fine art photographs and table linens. Custom purses and dog collars, folk arts and Native American art works, fresh peppers and vegetables, pottery and leather works also adorned the show.

The Native American art cropped up in several booths, but the display of one repeat vendor was impressive.

"I have done five or six years of Sisters fairs, but I usually attend the Western Native American fair," said Molly Kubista, a member of the Cree Tribe. "This is really my life. I started when I was eight years old and formed this business when I was 18, and now I am 41. So, it is really my life. My works are in several museums, and I am always exploring new things while keeping with the Native American theme. The clothing, the paintings, the jewelry are all mine, sort of a Martha Stewart sort of thing but Native."