The Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival: The Best Show by a Dam Site!

All photos by Lorie Marsham

Guest Contributor Lili Davis-Burchat gives the low-down on the upcoming Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival in Lake of Bays

                                                                       

Thirty-six years ago, Richard and Marlene Robinson hosted the first outdoor arts fair in Baysville with eight artists. They wanted to forge a deeper connection between the places we come to appreciate nature, and how that shows up in the cultural record which has been handed down from artists like Tom Thomson, and other famous Canadian creatives. 

Over the years, the Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival has grown and moved to different locations around the charming village of Baysville. Today in 2023, we are pleased to host 70-plus artisans from across the province… and Richard Robinson is still one of them!

Admission to the Festival is juried so our artisans are the cream of the crop. From painters to soap-makers, potters to illustrators, woodworkers to textile manufacturers, everything is handcrafted in Canada. Many artisans return year after year to this highly successful show, and this year we are pleased to welcome lots of new artists as well.

 

Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival 2023

 

Located at the bridge on District Road 117, this Muskoka Riverside venue makes the experience of browsing art, photography, jewelry, crafts, and the works of other makers a one-of-a-kind experience.

If you cottage on Lake of Bays, try visiting the show by boat to complete the experience. There’s live music and a barbeque at the bandshell between Grist Mill and Robertson parks, as well as public washrooms. A meandering path along the river takes you to the Baysville Dam and beyond.

 

 

Every year over 2,000 people flock to the show and support the hamlet of Baysville with their entry donations. The Baysville Riverfront Group, which organizes the show, supports various community organizations, and projects and awards annual bursaries to Baysville students.

The Horticultural Society, who provides volunteers for the entrances, maintains the walkways, gardens, and baskets you will find throughout the town.

 

Make a Day of it in Baysville and Lake of Bays

 

Take time to explore Baysville, grab a hot beverage, snacks, and ice cream at Miss Nelle’s Antiques and Café, one of the best coffee shops in the area. You’ll also want to pick up locally produced preserves at Yummies in a Jar, sip a cold beer at the Lake of Bays Brewery, and much more.

The 2023 Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival runs Saturday, August 12, from 9am to 4pm; and Sunday, August 13, from 10am to 4pm. Rain or shine!

Find out more at https://baysvilleriverfront.ca/artscraft.html

See you at Grist Mill Park and Robertson Parkette!

 

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Lili Davis-Burchat is a volunteer with the Baysville Arts and Crafts Festival and Executive Co-ordinator of the Lake of Bays Association.