Attendees Offered Comfort, Free Admission

Some 40 booths filled with paintings, wood carvings, bead work, handmade purses, New Orleans area specialty items and handcrafted jewelry will make up Rivertown’s inaugural Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, August 1, at the newly-renovated Heritage Hall, 303 Williams Boulevard in Kenner. Admission and parking for the event are free.

Mary-Sharon Howland, director of the city Department of Community Services, which is sponsoring the fair, said she expects the event to be one of the largest arts and crafts fairs to be staged in Kenner. Vendors and shoppers will enjoy an air conditioned environment and refreshments will be sold.

“Booths were available at $50 each, and the response has been so positive, that we have expanded the event to the Kenner Exhibition Hall a few doors down the street,” she added.

“That way both sellers and buyers will have easy access to each other for what we hope will be a very successful fair.”

Howland said because of the fair, special low price admissions will be featured at the adjacent Rivertown museums so kids and whole families can enjoy the day. The museums will also offer special buy one-get the second one at half price tickets for a return visit at a later date.

The 4,000 square-foot Heritage Hall recently reopened as a venue for receptions, luncheons, showers, family reunions, weddings and meetings after suffering rain water damage from Hurricane Katrina. It was a business focal point in old Kenner for 100 years as a mercantile store, pharmacy, post office, motorcycle shop and museum before Katrina.

Howland said the fair booths sold out quickly and other potential vendors were turned away.

The response from many of the leading arts and crafts vendors has been outstanding and “we think that we’re going to have a big crowd for this one-day show,” she added.

For more information, call 468-7293.