GRAND LEDGE, Mich. — More than 150 vendors and thousands of neighbors are expected to attend the 52nd annual Art Fair at Fitzgerald Park in Grand Ledge this Saturday.
- The nonprofit Ledge Craft Lane organizes the annual event to support their historic building.
- Local vendors see the fair as a crucial opportunity to grow their businesses and connect with the community.
- The Art Fair runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Fitzgerald Park.
"The art fair is returning to Fitzgerald Park this year for the second year in a row, this is our big 52nd anniversary," said Stephene Lapp, president of the nonprofit Ledge Craft Lane.
WATCH: Grand Ledge Art Fair celebrates 52 years supporting local businesses and artists
As the organizer of the event, Lapp has been busy handling last-minute preparations.
"I get up in the morning and I've got 25 emails and 14 messages," Lapp said.
Despite the hectic schedule, she emphasized the importance of the event for their organization.
"As a nonprofit this is our one festival that we do every year to raise the money that we need for our brick and mortar store, so if I can go bigger every year that's more money in our pockets to take care of our historic building, which is the original fire house in town, so we want to keep that up and running," Lapp said.
For many vendors, the fair represents a significant business opportunity. Tim Kuss, a new entrepreneur who started his embroidery business last September after retiring, is participating in the art fair for the first time.
"Started doing the embroidery business in September, when I retired, looking for a side hustle to augment my income, who knows what's going on with the economy and social security," Kuss said.
He's been busy preparing inventory, having made about six dozen items already. Kuss hopes the event will help establish his presence in the community.
"Being a small business, being a best kept secret is not the best thing, trying to always get our name out in the community and let people realize that we're here," Kuss said.
Another vendor at the fair will be Pam Redman, owner of Pam's Pantry, who has built her business through craft shows over more than two decades.
"The craft show is where we got our start, we've been doing it for 23 years. And that's where a majority of our income comes from," Redman said.
After traveling across the country for shows, Redman appreciates having an event in Grand Ledge.
"It's great to have a show right in our own hometown, no lodging, we can go out set up, sell and just be here," Redman said.
With final preparations underway, excitement is building for Saturday's event.
"The nerves are there, we're ready to go everybody is so excited," Lapp said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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