WELLS, Maine, June 19, 2020 — Since 1988, thousands of people have spent the weekend after Labor Day browsing unique handmade wares at the Laudholm Nature Crafts Festival, a prestigious event held on the Laudholm campus of the Wells Reserve. This year will be different, as the festival has been called off for the first time in 33 years. The organizing committee, after consulting with exhibitors, volunteers, and supporters, decided to put safety first and wait for September 2021 to hold its next event. 

Our festival has always showcased the best aspects of our region: Talented artists, in a beautiful landscape, with a warm welcome, said Nik Charov, who leads the nonprofit that organizes the festival. We will miss seeing everyone this year, but during this pandemic the health of our visitors, vendors, and volunteers is our priority.

Charov called the crafts festival the most important annual fundraiser for Laudholm Trust. Since the beginning, dedicated volunteers have poured their hearts into making the crafts festival a growing success, he said. It is such a disappointment to call it off. Worsening our sorrow, this month we lost a beloved friend and volunteer, Pat Frost, one of the originators of the festival and its grande dame. Pat spent more than three decades nurturing the event, and its stellar reputation was largely built on her vision and perseverance.

Exhibitors who were accepted for the 2020 festival, or placed on the waiting list, are being advanced to the 2021 event. Laudholm Trust is planning an online display of their works this summer.

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