From arts & crafts to hula hoops and mums, Potter's Bridge Fall Festival has it 'covered'

One of the things vendor Mindi Brown is looking forward to about the annual Potter’s Bridge Fall Festival is spending time with her daughter, Raine, and sister in law Nancy Miller as the three share a craft booth and sell their creations at the event.
Mindi, who has been sewing and repurposing clothing since high school and whose style is ‘funky and quirky,’ will be offering hip, one of a kind little girl’s clothing.

Nancy Miller is offering her ‘Sew Schmancy’ aprons, both for adults and kids. Some are vintage style, some are more modern. Raine, who is raising money for her school trip to Washington D.C. in the spring, will be selling skirts with funky prints as well as upcycled wool and cashmere toboggan hats.

The festival, sponsored by the Hamilton County Parks & Recreation Department, is in its 11th year. Marketing and Event Specialist Michele Arndt, who has overseen the event since 2002, has watched it grow from just six vendors to around fifty this year. “I love the Arts & Crafts booths and look forward to going there and shopping,” she shares.

Vendors this year are offering everything from birdhouses, fine arts, baby quilts, homemade purses, jewelry, handknits, kids clothing, and aprons, to holiday decorations and hula hoops.

Food offerings will include: elephant ears, hot dogs, hamburgers, sno-cones, and popcorn. On the non-food front, Faith Community Church is holding a silent auction, A Corner Cottage is selling mums; and there will be face painting, balloon art, a climbing wall, and a bounce house to entertain the kids. Live music will take place from 12-2pm by Carmel cover band The Bishops.

If you go: admission is free. Potter’s Bridge is located at 19401 North Allisonville Road, Noblesville. The festival is from 11am-3pm. Call the Parks & Recreation Dept. with questions at 770-4400.

Celebrate the equinox this time by the light of the moon

I’m looking forward to celebrating the autumn equinox this week. I’m very into celebrating the equinoxes, solstices, and following the cycles of the moon, so I look forward to doing something special when any of these roll around. The equinox (meaning ‘equal night’) falls on Thursday the 23rd, which also happens to align with the harvest moon this year, also falling on the 23rd.

I feel really passionate about this celebration of transition—and I feel like it’s something we have lost along the way. This need to mark the seasons and cycles of the moon is ingrained in us because this is how our ancient ancestors marked time and seasons. I feel like it’s an imperative and recharging way to feel more connected with the earth and others, when almost all of the rest of the time we’re caught in artificial time, 24/7 shopping and working, and activity overload.

Do you notice the changing of the light in the fall? It just feels and looks different, it seems more golden somehow. And the leaves have already started changing. All too soon, fall will be over and winter will be here. This is why we do this—to take time to slow down and savor the moment.

Marking the rhythms of the earth this way is significant and something we as a family and our friends look forward to. It will be a simple celebration—just food, music, friends. We’re getting together to share a meal and linger outside as long as we can. We’ll definitely hoop. Maybe do a rain dance. Or maybe a rain hoopdance? We also wanted to have a bonfire, but I doubt that’s going to happen thanks to this drought and the subsequent burning ban. Darn!

But hallelujah, we’ll have the light of the moon.