Photograph courtesy of the Strange Folk Festival
“A mad-science experiment that twists pop culture with eclectic resourcefulness.”
Autumn Wiggins uses that delicious phrase to characterize Strange Folk—and who better to describe the Illinois indie arts-and-crafts festival? After all, she founded the volunteer-run event, which takes place in O’Fallon Community Park September 26 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Moreover, the delightfully self-styled “Strange Girl in Charge” continues to coordinate the festival, now in its fourth year. As in the past, this year’s Strange Folk features activities and exhibits from craftspersons and artists both individually and collectively, as well as musicians, local concession stands, and other vendors.
This year more so than previously, Wiggins foresees an abundance of frozen goodies. As a result, she notes impishly, “We’re organizing an ‘Ice Cream Social Network Social’ through Twitter, Facebook, and [online knitting community] Ravelry.”
That incongruous blend of high tech and grass rootsiness colors the festival, from blogging stations to a gigantic sandbox for youngsters. Yes: Strange Folk runs the gamut from silicon to…well…sand.
Last year’s show topped 10,000 attendees, according to its website, and as in 2008, Wiggins expects 120 vendors this year. Visit strangefolkfestival.com for the final vendor listing, directions, and other details of Strange Folk’s “guerilla marketing” campaign.
