Trash disposal can be a problem, a problem that the environmentally-conscious address by cleaning up trash when they see it and recycling the appropriate materials.
But after seeing a special on "The Today Show" about how long two common items -- tires and temporary plant holders -- can last in a landfill, Dean and Denise Henry decided to so something about it.
The couple have been selling bird feeders and bird houses crafted from used tires and temporary pots that would otherwise languish in landfills for hundreds of years. The Henrys plan to return to the Dogwood Festival again this year.
"My wife came up with the idea," Dean Henry said. "She's the mastermind."
The Henrys sell their wares at about 30 shows per year, Dean Henry said, and they almost always sell out of their stock.
One of the selling points for the recycled bird paraphernalia is its paint, Dean Henry said. The Henrys use a recycled automotive-based paint that is mixed with three additives to make sure it doesn't fade. Dean said people approach him at shows to tell him their birdhouses are still just as brightly colored as they were when they were purchased at another year's show.
"I'm supposed to be retired, but I worry that if I don't help that she'll recycle me," joked Dean.
The couple have been in business for around 10 years, and they have been to several previous Dogwood Festivals.
"I enjoy coming down there because I know a lot of the people involved in having it," Dean said.
Oddbowlz
Oddbowlz Ceramics began because owner Greg Hall decided to stop chasing the "almighty dollar", in Hall's words. After becoming interested in pottery in high school and college, Hall had a career in business. But around 15 years ago, Hall decided he would rather do something that brought him something more important to him than money: a sense of joy with his work.
Hall hand-makes a range of ceramic goods, including bowls, vases, mugs and plates. Between shaping, drying and firing each item, a typical item will take about a week to make.
Oddbowlz also offers less common ceramic goods like cell phone sound systems, birdhouses and sponge holders, which Hall said have been in demand.
Hall has sold his wares for the last 15 years at farmers markets in Eureka Springs, Springdale and Harrison, from May to June and again from August to Christmas.
Last year, Hall was in Siloam Springs on the same weekend as the Dogwood Festival, but not as a vendor. Hall and a friend attended a Volkswagen show that was held on the same weekend as the festival. His friend took him to the festival and Hall asked to see who he needed to talk to to apply to be a vendor the next year.
"I liked it because it was on the river," Hall said. "The overall feel was nice, the small town feel."
Kid Zone
The Kid Zone at the 2017 Dogwood Festival will feature the return of several perennial favorites, as well as some new features that are sure to keep some of the younger festival attendees happy.
After a few years without one, a trackless train for kids will be at this year's Dogwood Festival. The train will board and unload behind the pony station near the intersection of Ashley and Maple Street. The pony station will be run by a different company this year than in years past.
The Amazon obstacle course will return for this year's event, along with carnival games and the climbing wall and mechanical bull. Those longtime attractions will be joined by a large inflatable slide standing nearly 25 feet tall.
Visitors will notice a reorganization of the area as most vendors will be moved out of the Kid Zone and closer to University Street. Instead, there will be some vendors selling lighter park food and a new pineapple stand selling drinks in hollowed-out pineapples.
General News on 04/26/2017