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closeSumner Arts Festival draws both new and veteran artists
Sumner Arts Festival celebrates 35 years, continues to focus on handmade goods such as driftwood art
Roxanne Cooke
The 35th annual Sumner Arts Festival welcomed some new vendors last weekend, including a man who turns driftwood into art and furniture.
Gig Harbor resident Scotty Hemphill, of WoodDrifts, hand-selects each piece of wood from the Purdy Sandspit and transforms the wood into coat racks, signs, wall hangings, coffee tables and other art. The Sumner Arts Festival was his very first show.
“I was a bit intimidated but I’ve had positive onlookers,” he said.
Hemphill has been at it for three years and used to work as a finish carpenter, working with fine details. He said each piece of driftwood art can take a few weeks to complete, starting with a visit to the beach to gather the wood.
“I thought I’d try it out,” Hemphill said. “I’m having a blast.”
His girlfriend, Tracy Perdue, said he puts time, effort and care into each piece, and he works with his grandfather’s tools.
“I think it’s really original,” she said.
As for the festival, the two are glad they chose Sumner.
“The people are so friendly,’ Perdue said.
“This has got the heart to it,” Hemphill said. “I’m just glad to be a part of it.”
Though Hemphill and Perdue were selling at the festival for the first time, Tessa Roslie of Tacoma has been coming for six or seven years.
Roslie sells contemporary and classic-style jewelry under the name Crystal-N-Chain Creations and has been making jewelry for 12 years. She and her husband own an asphalt company in Tacoma and her jewelry business is something she does on the side.
She said she sells at the Sumner Arts Festival because it’s close to home and she likes the locals as well as the organizers of the event. Roslie even has regular customers visit her booth every year.
“The people that run it are very nice,” she said.
Roslie previously sold at the Tacoma Farmer’s Market but said she had trouble with theft. The Sumner Arts Festival makes use of the Sumner Police Department, with officers on duty throughout both days.
Approximately 90 vendors signed up for this year’s Sumner Arts Festival, said Stuart Scheuerman, publicity chair of the festival committee. That’s a few more than last year.
There are 25 new booths overall, he said, and the children’s area was expanded to include more activities.
But it was still different setting up without the help of Tim Hyland, the former city street sweeper and volunteer who died of meningitis in January.
The festival information booth had information posted about the Tim Hyland Memorial Fund.
“It was quite different without Timmy this morning,” he said. “Tim knew so much and he did so much. He’s sorely missed this year.”