Washington County Enterprise-Leader
65th Clothesline Fair Special Section
One of the oldest arts and craft shows in Arkansas, the Clothesline Fair has something for everyone.
The Prairie Grove Lions Club, Arts Center of the Ozarks and Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park invite everyone to attend the 65th Annual Clothesline Fair on Sept. 3-5
The fun begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On Labor Day, hours for the craft fair, sponsored by Arts Center of the Ozarks, are 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The Labor Day weekend craft fair features more than 100 booths with artisans selling, displaying and demonstrating their handmade crafts. In addition, the Clothesline Fair includes square dancing, displays of antique farming equipment and musical entertainment. The park’s historic houses will be open for viewing.
This year, the Clothesline Fair will have food trucks along with non-profit organizations operating food and drink concessions in the park. Organized by the Lions Club, concession proceeds benefit Prairie Grove non-profit organizations including Band Boosters, PTA and Boy Scouts.
The Clothesline parade travels through downtown Prairie Grove starting at 9 a.m. Saturday and ends at the state park. Sponsored by Prairie Grove Chamber of Commerce, the parade line-up includes square dance groups, tractors, antique and classic cars and other special entries.
After the parade, there will be a Grandmaster Han’s martial arts demonstration at the Bandstand from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Members of the Rustic Relics Club will display a variety of antique tractors and other farming equipment throughout the fair with special demonstrations. Living history volunteer Jane-Ellen Ross will be in the Latta Kitchen, Saturday to Monday from 10 a .m. to 4 p.m. to discuss heritage gardens and talk about life during the time of the Civil War.
Gospel music is the featured program on Sunday starting at 1 p.m. Saved by Grace and several other country/southern gospel music groups are scheduled to sing Sunday afternoon. Any group or individual interested in singing on Sunday may call 479-846-3968.
Saturday and Monday afternoons, activities move to the amphitheater for square dance exhibitions and square dance competitions. The exhibition groups start at 2:30 p.m. Saturday where children ages 4-11 will be showing off their dance skills. The competition square dances start at 7:30 p.m.
Everyone will dance again on Monday, starting at 2:30 p.m. with the younger groups and 7:30 p.m. for the competitive groups. Bring a lawn chair and enjoy the music and square dancing.
The Clothesline Fair does not have an admission fee but charges a $5 fee for parking in the state park each day. Proceeds from parking fees help different organizations.
Hindman Hall Museum & Visitor Center is open and free of charge from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. It features interactive exhibits, and videos, along with the park gift shop and restrooms. Park grounds, picnic area, and restrooms are open daily from 8 a.m. until dark.
The Clothesline Fair will be a part of “Arkansas State Parks Legacy Week” at Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. It’s a week all about Arkansas State Parks, celebrating the existence and mission of the state park system. This year’s featured topic is “Find Your Park.”
For more information contact Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park at 479-846-2990 or by e-mail at prairiegrove@arkansas.com. Be sure to check us out on the web at www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield for a full list of park events.