Rachel Moyer of Aiken looks over a doll made by one of the more than 250 crafters present at this year's Aiken's Makin' arts and craft show. RON COCKERILLE/STAFF

Crafting festival pleasing

Visitors find unique arts, crafts, lots of food during Aiken's Makin'

Web posted September 11, 1999

By Katie Throne
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN -- Thousands of people rustled through downtown Aiken on Friday, eyeing and buying crafts from around the area at the 23rd annual Aiken's Makin' Arts and Crafts Show.

Sunny skies and tolerable temperatures provided an extra incentive to spend the day outdoors sifting through artwork designed by 250 crafters from around the region.

``We heard this was the best show in the Southeast,'' said newcomer Tom Koeppl, who traveled from Palm Harbor, Fla., to sell musical sand dollars. ``It has a wonderful reputation.''

Mr. Koeppl and his wife, Margie, are certified divers who spend their days diving off their boat into the Gulf of Mexico searching for sand dollars to paint and sell.

``That's the fun part,'' he said with a laugh.

The festival continues today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. An opening ceremony will be at 9:45 a.m. in the parking lot of Regions Bank Operations Center, 237 Park Ave.

Amid the usual rubber-band guns and dried-flower designs, a few original creations caught the crowd's attention Friday.

``I'm a chain saw artist,'' Randy Benzon of Orangeburg, S.C., explained.

Mr. Benzon carves bears out of wood, ranging in size from 1 foot to nearly 4 feet tall. Almost everyone that passed by his tent commented on how cute the bears were.

``I want a little bit of ruggedness in my back yard,'' said Jim Dick of Aiken, who bought a bear holding a jar of honey. ``This is very original.''

Local resident Helene Baum came to the festival in search of original artwork. She left with a jointed, mohair teddy bear and pottery from Lauri Spinner's collection.

``I wanted something that you couldn't find just anywhere,'' Ms. Baum said. ``I thought (Ms. Spinner's) pottery was very unique.''

An odd array of pottery, including lizard-themed kitchenware and one-of-a-kind goblets, lined the shelves in Ms. Spinner's tent. A resident of Gaston, S.C., she has been sculpting for 14 years and coming to Aiken's Makin' for eight.

``I like the atmosphere here,'' she said. ``Everyone has a really good attitude.''

Al Rawden's toy airplanes, made from aluminum cans, were a hit among both the young and old. Which brands were most popular?

``Coca-Cola and Budweiser,'' Mr. Rawden answered.

People of all ages also were fascinated by ``the gourd lady'' and her creations. Martinez resident Laverne A. Giesber has been painting intricate designs on gourds collected from farmers for about nine years. She started preparing for Aiken's Makin' months in advance.

``We have tropical fish, birdhouses, clocks and ornaments, all made from gourds,'' she said.

Original artwork wasn't the only thing on browsers' minds. A total of 30 vendors provided hot patrons with cold lemonade and shaved ice. As for the food, hamburgers and hot dogs were overshadowed by more rare finds, like blooming onions and shish kebabs.

But the longest line formed for the old festival favorite -- funnel cakes.

``I got a funnel cake, so I'm leaving a happy person,'' Ms. Baum said.

Katie Throne covers the city of Aiken for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at (803) 279-6895 or scbureau@augustachronicle.com.