A few months ago, I decided I would reacquaint myself with my West Virginia heritage by taking a short trip, each month, to one of the many regional fairs or festivals held around the state. In June, I went to Glenville's Annual Festival of Folk Music and Appalachian Culture. I had a great time and it convinced me I was on the right track.

I had heard several people talk about a huge arts and crafts fair in Ripley, so I decided that would be a good trip. The Mountain State Art and Craft Fair, held Thursday through Sunday during the first weekend in July, began in 1963 as part of West Virginia's Centennial celebration. A trip to their web site, www.msacf.com found driving directions, a map of the fairgrounds, and a discount on the admission fee.

I decided to go on Saturday. It had been raining for a couple of days before that, and I have to say, it was really muddy despite the fact that event organizers had put down straw. On the up side, parking was close to the event, there was a paved path running through much of the grounds, and it didn't rain most of the day.

Even though the weather was damp, spirits weren't. Fair organizers said the total attendance this year of 14,922 was fewer than the 17,000 who attended last year, but considering the price of gas and the weather, a good turn out. Rows and rows of tents sheltered the 140 exhibitors and 19 food concessionaires.

The fair had something for everyone, and in addition to the arts and crafts exhibitors, other offerings included information booths from six state agencies, hands-on art education workshops, an exotic petting zoo, sheep shearing demonstrations, and a youth fishing derby.

All products offered represented some form of traditional or contemporary Appalachian art or craft. Artisans who exhibit at the fair are selected by a jury of craft experts, and most are from West Virginia, with out-of-state exhibitors limited to 25% of the total. This year's list of categories included: baskets, decorative painting, fiber, fine art, folk art, glass, leather, jewelry, wood, pottery, leather, photography, and furniture. Not only were there crafted items for sale, but the learning workshops and on-site demonstrations varied from stone-grinding corn meal to weaving a 'rag rug'.

Some of these demonstrations took me back to my childhood, I'll have to admit. I have memories of many winter evenings cutting strips of material to sew together for their eventual transformation into a rag rug. In fact, I still have a couple of the ones I helped create.

I also got nostalgic when I passed by the outdoor apple butter making demonstration. My grandmother and her two sisters went through this every year of my childhood, peeling bushels and bushels of apples, their fingers taped to protect against cuts, and then stirring the sauce in a huge cast iron kettle over a wood fire outdoors. I can't say for sure, but I suspect the wood fire as well as the cinnamon contributed to the wonderful flavor of their apple butter.

There was so much food at this fair, it was hard to pass up, but for homemade salsa, apple butter, and honey, this was the place to stock up.

The Mountain State Art and Craft Fair is held each year in Ripley at the Cedar Lakes Conference Center. If you missed it this year, plan to attend in 2009, but be advised you may want to plan for more than one day. There's a lot to see and do. Next year's event will be held July 2-5, 2009.