Fall Festival bigger than ever

Sisters Fall Street Festival drew crowds to North Oak Street in downtown Sisters over the weekend.

The festival featured 75 vendors displaying arts and crafts from neck coolers to home-grown bonsai trees. There was something for everyone's taste as folks meandered up and down Oak Street browsing for that eye-catching prize to purchase.

Vendor Maryann Plemmons displayed an interesting name for her business: "The Ol' Bag Lady." She and her husband Grady, from Turner, shared a booth showcasing their unique handmade goods.

"Grady and I have different talents," explained Plemmons. "He makes wooden frames and I sew handbags, table covers and runners from recycled materials. It's whatever I can find: old jeans or fabric samples. Each one is different. We've been doing this for 10 years now; it's more fun than anything else, we make enough to go to Arizona every winter."

There were a multitude of activities that attracted the younger folks; twisty balloon animals by TJ balloons, the bounce house, and one attraction that drew a crowd. The pony rides for only $5 made it affordable for many kids that have always wanted to sit atop a horse. And these ponies were just the right size for shorter legs.

Diane Schmidt, owner and riding instructor of Diane's Riding Place in Tumalo brought three beautiful ponies for children to ride with the help of four of her students.

"This is so enjoyable for the kids, and my students are having loads of fun helping take the kids around our small arena," said Schmidt. "I have been involved with the Wild West Show before, too, by lending them a horse or two."

Kathy Jederlinich from Blodgett in Benton County showed off her hand-painted dinnerware at her booth, In and Out Design.

"This is a part of my store that I have on Etsy.com," Jederlinich said. "But I do so much more than create hand-painted ceramic plates. I am an artist and art educator with over 30 years experience and have been involved in the Corvallis and rural community creating art installation art pieces with the community."

Jederlinich calls her project Backbone Mural and Mosaics - Creating Community Legacies One Wall at a Time.

"Every year I try to bring new artists and crafters with creativity to Sisters, and we are raising money for the Sisters High School Visual Arts Department and I'm very happy with the outcome," said Richard Esterman, event organizer.