We attended the 3rd Annual Lynd Fruit Farm Memorial Crafters’ Event in Pataskala, Ohio on Saturday, May 25th. It ran from 10 am to 4 pm with over 81 booths offering handcrafted items. This is our second year in a row to attend, as we didn’t want to miss it after enjoying it so much last year! Upon entering the pavilion area, one of the first items I spotted that I quickly decided to purchase was an adorable large white porch bunny painted with pink and blue pastel accents on two pieces of large picket fence sporting a pastel ribbon around its neck to match. Forever Pallets www.facebook.com/foeverpallets offers custom signs, doormats, tumblers, and workshops too. The owner kindly held onto the large piece while we continued to shop. Moving onward, next we enjoyed meeting and talking with Nancy of Only Originals; Nancy is a very talented watercolor artist, who paints on used teabags. She shared with us all of the conscious recycling efforts she makes in her artistic process, which is quite admirable. Many birds and nature scenes are painted in her collection; some of the pieces reminded us of our recent trip to Maine. It was a pleasure to enjoy her work and get to talk with Nancy. She is frequently a vendor at Newark, Ohio’s Canal Market District.

Located directly across from Nancy’s Only Originals, my husband overheard two ladies talking about “Icelandic wool” and immediately took interest.  We inquired with the owner of The Naturally Warm Shop and learned that she used an Icelandic wool sweater for the exterior in creating a flaxseed and lavender microwave heating pad.  My husband snatched that up and used it the very next evening.  We really enjoyed conversing with the owner and a fellow customer, who happened to be from Iceland.  What fun we had sharing about our travels!   

After thoroughly enjoying our time in the pavilion, we ventured on to see what the vendors were offering outside.  We met a woodworker and his wife and kindly, the woodworker gave me a wooden heart carved from a Walnut tree.  Coffee tables, bowls, chests, and toys were some of Brown’s WhatKnots beautiful creations!   Our final stop was Glassware Creations by Sherry www.Facebook.com/glasswarecreationsbysherry; her bird baths creatively made of punch bowls and other old glassware were striking!  Birdfeeders, sculptures, and yard stakes were also some fun designs.  I selected an owl garden stake made by compiling a milk glass tray, glass chandelier hangings, glass stones, and candle holders.

Food trucks were also on site, but we had stopped for lunch at the Nutcracker Family Restaurant in Pataskala on the way.  The Meatloaf Stack, which includes meatloaf over mashed potatoes and a large slice of sourdough bread, topped with brown gravy and fried onions served in an iron skillet was delicious!  I opted for onion rings as my side.  For dessert, I chose the wild cherry milkshake, again, delicious!  My husband opted for a tasty Philly cheesecake sandwich and fries.  To read more about the awesome retro decorations at this fabulous nostalgic restaurant, see our 2023 previous post.      

On Saturday, June 24, we attended The Great Granville Garage Sale, which benefits the Licking County Coalition for Housing. On the way, our first stop was at the Raccoon International Golf Club grounds, where Sister Salvage & Soles had plenty of items available for purchase under their canopy and tent and spread nicely along the lawn near the parking lot upon arrival. We picked up two fencing swords and a fencing helmet for a fair price after friendly negotiations. We enjoyed talking with one of the owners, who has an infectious excitement for all things salvage. Afterward, we quickly strolled through the Granville Farmers’ Market, which appeared vast, but we were in a hurry to get to “The Great Granville Garage Sale”.

Adagio Teas annouces their new Chai Tea category!

Centenary United Methodist Church was our first stop in the GGGS lineup. It was quite the treasure chest of a room full of unique items and one cannot find a better deal when no prices are marked and the “donations only” motto is set. All of the money at this fundraiser was going toward supporting their youth group on a mission trip. We found a plethora of wonderful items like glassware, books, a bowling ball, jewelry, and Holiday items; we look forward to stopping here again next year! Just across the street on the lawn of the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, we found loads of fantastic deals on fine china and 1950’s Melmac sets at the Licking County Coalition for Housing canopy tent. How cool was it that everything we purchased there went directly to LCCH?! Of course, we stopped at Alfie’s Granville for a delicious lunch alfresco in their pleasant courtyard. We ordered Mr. Tea and The Alex sandwiches, beat salad with fetta, parsley, and pecans, rosemary lemonade, and a Blondie for dessert. Directly after lunch, we took a stroll through the garage sales in the neighborhood and if the sellers had LCCH jars at their tables, the profits went to LCCH.

At this point, our car was fully loaded with our “new to us” items, we were not able to make it to Raccoon Valley Park and some other locations on the GGGS map. However, we did stop in at the Sister Salvage & Soles shop on our drive heading out of Granville. Antiques and shoes abound in this airy shop located with doors raised up allowing one to feel like time is being spent simply hanging on the porch getting to peruse old stuff. The atmosphere and friendly owners provide for a delightful atmosphere. What a great time on a Saturday afternoon in Granville, Ohio!

It was a beautiful day, as we ventured to the Lynd Fruit Farm in Pataskala, Ohio. We visited various vendors at their “The Memorial Crafters’ Event”: there were over 80 vendors and food trucks! We want to focus on two of our favorite stops: the first we encountered was Chris Smith Pottery. We purchased a small mug with a beautifully shaped handle and impressively detailed pine trees carved on the body, handle, as well as the underside of the mug. We also purchased a kitchen utensil holder/vase sitting on round legs, which has a leaf design all around, and a sweet bird carved on what looks like an emblem or seal on the front center. All of Chris’s works were interestingly designed and crafted.

Our second favorite stop was Juhi Fashion House. There were many handmade quilts that were very intricately sewn by hand. Juhi shared that she dyes the threads she uses with natural dye techniques. You could tell that each quilt was thoughtfully designed and was of great quality! I purchased a journal that caught my eye. I love it; I started writing in it that night!

We recently spent a Saturday late morning and afternoon full of nostalgia and inspiration!  Our joyful experiences started at the Nutcracker Family Restaurant located at the intersection of Ohio Routes 16 and 310 in Pataskala, Ohio.  We encourage you to visit this 1950’s style diner, where it is easy for one to sit in the booth eagerly anticipating dessert: especially a house-made piece of pie or a milkshake.  A uniquely extra special element to this diner is the décor, as black-and-white checkered floors, chrome plating, jukeboxes, and various wall, windowsill, and table arrangements and collectibles fill the space.  Appropriately, nutcrackers abound; it would be fun to try to see how many one can spot and count them up- maybe we will do that when we visit next time.  A hamburger and a patty melt both served with kettle chips were our meal choices along with a nice cold Coca-Cola and a piece of peanut butter pie.  The smell of freshly roasted nuts hospitably sends guests on their way when leaving the restaurant, and the mouthwatering scent is quite the greeting upon entry- what a welcome and goodbye!

Only a brief drive away (just over 5 minutes) is Lynd Fruit Farm, where over 80 booths with handcrafted items and food trucks filled the area during their “Memorial Crafters’ Event”. We were delighted with the amount of creativity, quality handmade items, reasonable prices, and friendly vendors. Some of the available crafted items included pottery, many hand-sewn items (some fabrics and threads naturally dyed), wool sculptures, macromet, crochet, carvings, etc… The amount of authentic new designs was inspiring! Both of us hopped on some projects of our own with revived vigor after our time absorbing all of the works by these Ohio crafters and artisans.