Where in the world is River City Farmers Market?

When we first moved to Marietta, Ohio, back in pre-internet days, sometimes I'd see an event in the newspaper I might be interested in but didn't know how to find- because the building was named but there was no address given. Apparently I was to drive around looking for it. Or, just know.

Even in these days of google maps and Facebook events it is not uncommon for me to run into people who do not know that Marietta, Ohio has a farmer's market at the Washington County Fairgrounds, and some who do not know where the fairgrounds are located. I hope to help.  First of all, the fairgrounds are practically in downtown Marietta. I don't know about you, but I expect fairgrounds to be a little more out in the country. That was my experience as a kid and I expect it to stay that way the rest of my life!  Second, there may be some confusion caused by the multiple entrances to the fairgrounds. Plus, there is no road sign at the main entrance for the fairgrounds, and the main entrance is where we're going.  There is a Washington Co. Fairgrounds sign, yes, but it is much higher than a road sign and out of the sight line of drivers.  So, here are some clues:

From Rt. 60:  Going south and passing Wendy's on the right, drop down onto Front Street where road forks.  Pass Eaton St. on right. The entrance you want for River City Farmers Market is the next right.  (.9 miles from Wendy's).

From the Armory on Front St.:  Pass Muskingham Park on the left.  Look for Fair Ave. on your left (after Front Street curves to the right but before it meets Second St.)  Take the next left after Fair Ave. (1.4 miles).

From Marietta College:  Take Fourth St. to Washington Blvd.  Turn left and follow Washington Blvd. to Second St.  Turn right and follow Second St. to Front.  Turn right then make a quick left. (1.6 miles).

Once there, you will  need to find the building.  Yes, there is a building.  Although I sometimes set-up outside, I do have a regular space inside the building as do other vendors.  Here is a link to a map of the buildings:  Washington County Fairgrounds  The market is in building #4.  This is adjacent to the Fair Board office which is building #3.

Some of the vendors will only set up outside and can be found from spring through fall, while others are year-round inside the building.  The market is a favorite Christmas shopping stop, in fact, for many customers.

On to pottery, here are a few things out of the kiln this week.  I will have these at the market Saturday.

Above and below:  Flower children.  In the past I have attached these to steel rods.  The last few I've made are on sticks.  Let me know what you prefer.  The steel rods, of course, are going to hold up much longer, but the sticks are easier to attach (whittle, whittle) and I also whittle a couple of bucks off because they are free.  Easy to replace, too, obviously.

I really like the above bowl.  The stencils were a last minute decision.  They were cut from newspaper and difficult to work with on the bisque fired bowl. I tried moistening the stencils with water, but it really wasn't that helpful.  Had I thought to do this when the bowl was still somewhat moist green ware it would have been much easier. Hindsight!  Black and blue engobes used here and some rutile wash splashes.

More stenciling, but this was a store-bought stencil. Actually, I think I may hold onto to these two bowls.  This was supposed to be a set of three.  The middle sized bowl developed a surface crack in the bottom. I have another set of three that are not yet fired and now I am thinking that it might be best to hold on to these two until I see how the other set fares. Just when I thought I had gotten past the S-crack issues!

Hope to see you at the market!

The Castle jar, tests, and stuff on the shelf

True to my status as an un-production potter, I sometimes (often) take on individual projects such as this reproduction jar for The Castle Museum in Marietta, Ohio.  The jar is an approximate reproduction of one made by Nathaniel Clark who once operated his pottery on the site of The Castle, and is destined for a raffle fundraiser at a garden party there on Thursday, June 14.

 Below are some very small jars, approx. 5 inches tall, that will be for sale in the carriage house gift shop at The Castle Museum, along with, eventually, 70 others.  Unusual for me, the outside glaze was applied to leather hard (on the dry side) green ware.  On bisque surfaces the air bubbled through, making small craters.  

And, tests.  Round one for the Castle jars.  There was also a round two.  The time frame for testing is easy to underestimate.  I can get quite fascinated with the endless possibilities.  In this case, trying to get a not glossy, but not completely matte surface in an electric kiln to come close to a pot from a wood, or maybe coal fired kiln. And the right color.  The winner was a primarily Red Art/ ball clay mixture with a little wood ash and nepheline syenite.  Also a bit of Mason Stain and ochre.  The inside of the pot is a glaze I had on hand.  Parkersburg Art Center helped me out greatly by firing my round two tests when the power cord on my kiln fried.  Thanks Vance! The kiln technician suggested replacing a couple of other parts which were beyond their life expectancy after we sent him pictures of the problem area.  It was intensely complicated and I seriously would have been crying if Ivin had not been on the job.

On the shelf:  some toad houses that tagged along with the Castle jars in the last firing.

 These little, um, bird objects below have been in the glaze firing, but are not glazed, only decorated with colored slips.  More to happen with these, as far as mounting/display. I have about a dozen ideas, and hope the one I go with will realistically be within my skill set.  Have to remind myself that I am not a cabinet maker.  Stay tuned.

More tests- this time of slips with various colorant combinations.  These for above birdy objects.  I am pretty well maxed out for spots to place test containers and test tiles. Need to edit.

Future flowers.  The pressed lace flowers at River City Farmers Market sold out last Saturday and I have some other ideas I'd like to explore.

reminder

So, the opening night of "Gardens of Oz" went well.  A few light showers on the first Merchant and Artist Walk in Marietta may have kept the number of visitors down a bit, but we had good sales at the gallery.  I thought I'd take a few pictures, but it was a busy night and I didn't think about it except for this sale-

I wanted to remember how I made this flower which is awaiting bubble wrap. This is one of the ceramic flowers Betsy Cook attached to her ironwork stem and leaves. All of the flowers I made were experiments.  I tried a number of shapes and glaze combinations and didn't do more than a couple of multiples of any one type.  I may need a reminder if I want to make a similar flower in the future.