DIDSBURY -- There was a little bit of something for everyone at the Didsbury Art, Travel and Trade Expo, which took place over the weekend at the Didsbury Memorial Complex.
The expo featured 96 exhibitor booths, a kids' play area, musical performances, a Taste of Didsbury food area, and the always popular A Brush with Art show and sale, presented by the Mountain View Arts Society (MVAS).
Kim Kennedy-Forsythe, events coordinator and communications officer for the Didsbury & District Chamber of Commerce, said the trade show went quite well.
"We had positive comments from both vendors as well as the guests who were in attendance," said Kennedy-Forsythe. "One of the biggest draws was the fiddlers and the entertainers. We had very positive feedback about that and the Mountain View Arts Society Brush with Art show and sale."
Kennedy-Forsythe said that people were impressed with the number and variety of vendors at the expo.
"We had some first timers," she said. "We also had a number of repeat vendors. One of the comments I received was that vendors were very engaged. They weren't just sitting back in their booths."
New this year was the expo artisans' market, which featured five vendors, said Kennedy-Forsythe.
"Our own Diana Steer with Shorthorn was there doing wax art, so that was a very interactive thing to do," she said. "We also had RC Tracks 2U there with a track set up. That was something we hadn't done before. We had Essentials for Our Community as well with their kids' zone for the smaller children once again."
A Brush with Art, the 8th annual Art Show and Sale, featured 24 artists from 10 different Central Alberta communities showing off their wares. Merrilee Anthony, MVAS president and show chair, said the art show went very well.
"We had mainly painters but they all had a different style and technique, very striking," said Anthony. "We also had stained glass; we had a wood turner from Olds who does just wonderful work. We had Cliff Thompson from Didsbury who does intarsia, where different woods are inlayed almost like a puzzle."
Anthony said they had 875 ballots cast for the People's Choice Award with Gail Kohut of Didsbury winning for her piece Barn Patrol.
"Gail Kohut has agreed to be our feature artist next year," said Anthony. "This year our feature artist was Elsie Archer. We sold art as well in excess of $3,000. For a little show, we were very pleased."
