Each Labor Day weekend, San Vicente Artists (SVA) sponsors the Big Ditch Art Fair. The Twelfth Annual Art Fair will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 2nd & 3rd, 2006, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Over fifty local and out-of-town artists and crafters will be showing and selling their wares in this pleasant shaded park. Enjoy the fine selection of paintings, photography, sculpture, ceramics, wood turning, fiber art and jewelry, among others.

Food vendors and children's programs will also be featured along with several "Artists in Action." Dave Rotherham will be demonstrating his woodturning skills again this year. Silversmith Diane Reed may also be coaxed into divulging her secrets with metals and gems.

The Members' Raffle was a hit last year, with proceeds going towards the SVA Website. Members again will be donating works of art and fine craft to be raffled off on Sunday afternoon. Look for the SVA Booth!

The venue for this event, Big Ditch Park, is located in the historic downtown area of Silver City, and has quite a history of its own. Not quite a hundred years ago, torrential summer floods turned Main Street in Silver City into the Big Ditch. In the ensuing years, rains continued to feed the creek and this downtown area became shaded by cottonwoods. Silver City residents and planners, including Downtown Businesses and the MainStreet Project took advantage of this scenic venue and built a park in which strollers today can be cooled by the tree canopy on a hot summer's day.

Plan on a visit to Silver City this Labor Day weekend and take in the Big Ditch Art Fair. Be sure to leave time to visit the many art galleries that line Bullard, Broadway and Yankie streets as well as those located a bit off the beaten path. At the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center on Hudson Street, you can obtain a copy of SVA's "Artists Guide" which contains maps for our ongoing Self-Guided Art Walks.

For additional information about the art fair or to obtain a Prospectus contact San Vicente Artists - Art Fair or Phone: (505) 534-4401 for more information.