Sisters gets set for country fair

There's nothing that creates the feeling of small-town America like an old-fashioned country fair. For more than a decade, Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration has provided all the wholesome fun and entertainment of the classic country fair - and gained a regional reputation for its art show.

The church will host its 13th annual Country Fair & Art Show on Saturday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The art show begins Friday evening, August 8. Admission and parking are free.

The church is located at 68825 Brooks Camp Rd. off Highway 242 at the west end of Sisters.

Fairgoers will enjoy a day of old-fashioned fun that includes face painting, a petting zoo, a cake walk, a white elephant sale and entertainment for the whole family.

An art show, held in the church's community hall from 5 to 8 p.m., will showcase the work of more than 50 regional artists.

While the fair and art show are all about fun and celebration, there is a more serious mission at hand. Each year the fair raises thousands of dollars committed to helping children through local agencies and organizations.

"Our total sales are somewhere around $30,000," said Frank Guthrie, who chairs the church's outreach committee. "Our earnings run right around $15,000 and have for three, four years now."

Usual donations are $1,000, Neighbor Impact/Head Start has received $2,000 in each of the past two years, and other organizations have received smaller grants. SOAR and the Family Access Network are regular recipients of contributions, as is the Arts Discovery program at Sisters Middle School.

"It needs to benefit local people," said Guthrie of the commitee's criteria. "Second, we want it, as best we can, to be children-oriented."

However, Guthrie noted, sometimes that means helping agencies that help moms and dads, such as medical volunteers and Habitat for Humanity.

"To be helping children, you need to look at family," he said.

A growing revenue stream for the program comes from a silent auction - which has become an attractive feature of the fair in its own right.

Numerous merchants and individuals in the Sisters area donated some 55 items for this year's auction according to Silent Auction Chair Gayle Rodrigues.

"We have original paintings; we have some beautiful framed prints; a lot of dining-in-the-area, from pizza tickets up to Jen's Garden," Rodrigues said.

There are also golf packages and lodging stays.

"We have something in everybody's price range," Rodrigues said.

The weekend event kicks off with an art show that has built a reputation over the past decade that brings art patrons from all over the region and up from California, according to Art Show Director Mike Matyniak.

The art show is juried, and features some 150 to 200 pieces from up to 65 artists. The fair takes a 30 percent commission from sales and applies it to the outreach fund.

The show features oil paintings, watercolors, pastels, sculpture, photography and multimedia - a broad representation of the arts in Central Oregon.

Dozens of volunteers work to make the fair a success.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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