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Reelfoot Arts and Crafts Festival offered sun, food, and a world of goodies
By WILLIAM NORTHCUTT
Staff reporter
The 2024 Reelfoot Arts and Crafts Festival saw hundreds of vendors selling a world of goods and goodies, and it offered a colorful introduction to fall for an estimated 40,000-45,000 visitors. Jaxon Neil, who heads up the festival, said that this year, they had so many vendors to apply that there were 100 on the waiting list. “Typically,” he said, “the festival brings in around $100,000 revenue increase during the month it takes place.”
He noted that the sheer number of vendors who applied can be credited to Covid. “During the pandemic,” he said, “a lot of people were locked down in their houses and discovered these talents they didn’t know they had—started building and making things...became artists and crafters.” He added that he wishes they had room for all who had applied.
A stroll down the rows gave visitors a chance to buy scented soaps, direct from farm jams and honey, shirts, hats, belts, jewelry, dresses, Halloween and Christmas décor, pottery, sculptures, paintings, novelty items, popcorn, Philly steak sandwiches, hamburgers, cotton candy, funnel cakes, roasted almonds, and last but not least, foot-long corn dogs.
Brittany and Joel West from Yellow Creek Hemp and Wire Creations sold jewelry and hemp bracelets. They said this was their fourth year at the festival. Asked whether they did well here, Brittany West said, “Yes, but we’ve found that jewelry sells better than the hemp bracelets, so we’ve been concentrating on those mostly.” Hailing from Dickson, Tennessee, they said they sell at only a few such festivals but feel that Reelfoot’s is successful enough to make the trip worth it.
Visitors from the area and all around the South came to enjoy all on offer. Tessa Lott, Samantha Lamar, and Melissa Huckabee came from their hometown, Gideon, Missouri. They said they had come to shop. Samantha said, “We’re here to check out some good stuff.” We asked if they were going to eat any of the foods on offer, and they responded almost simultaneously, “Funnel cake.” We told them that we had not spoken with anyone who would admit to that. Samantha replied, “Well we’re going to eat funnel cake. Oh yeah.”
Mary Jo Hurst brought her husband and friend along and were leaving when we met them. They had a cart full of items they had bought. “We got bargains,” Hurst said. And she added, “The best part about being here is being free from the kids for a little while. Free.”
