Fair Theme "Making Music Makers"
   Craft Fair director, Rotarian Geoff McLennan, said that the musical theme for this year’s fair will not overshadow the event’s reputation for high quality, diversified art and craft from the tiniest teddy bear to the most impressive piece of furniture - featuring Tasmania’s unique timbers.

New Curated Section
   A major inclusion, sure to be of great interest this year, will be a special open display area to showcase Tasmania’s finest crafts. This curated section will be under the guidance of Jenny Thomas and Ken Lockwood, prominent craft journalists, and editors of the prestigious Craft Arts International magazine, and the emphasis will be on unique pieces for sale from the studios of professional Tasmanian artisans.

   Enthusiasm for the Fair remains at a high pitch among craftspeople, and each year the number of applicants grows.  This year the selection committee received about 300, with 90 of them being newcomers. The selection committee’s aim is to maintain a major Tasmanian content and to retain the reputation for variety and quality, which has always been a feature of the fair. The more than 240 successful applicants for stalls were notified in early April.

Fashion Parade
   A fashion parade will also be introduced to add sartorial glamour and give the Fairs’ clothing and accessory craftspeople the chance to show off their products.

Streetscape Developments
   Deloraine’s streetscape will take on a new face for the fair with banners and decorations being designed and made by local residents. Parades and special events are in the planning stages. At the conclusion of each day, a “happy hour” of relaxation will center on the banks of the Meander River. This will include mime and drama performance, local groups providing music to unwind to, and demonstrations of the music makers, which is taken from the Fair’s 1998 theme. The high light of riverbank activities will be on the Sunday night with a procession of decorated floats down the Meander River. Grants from various instrumentalities are actively being sought to facilitate these innovations to add culture, training and education through community involvement with special emphasis on our youth.

   “The whole of Deloraine is involved in this annual celebration of the Tasmanian Craft Fair, so this year the plan is to spread the atmosphere of the Fair throughout the town with full community involvement commencing in the month of October and leading into the Christmas period.” Mr McLennan said.

   Camel rides which proved popular last year, wagon rides and a jumping castle will keep children busy while their parents get on with the serious business of spending money, choosing Christmas presents and perhaps learning something new from the craft demonstrations which are required of all stallholders.

Buying Opportunities
   Mr McLennan says that the record attendance in 1997 of 27,500 patrons will undoubtedly be broken continuing the upward trend in popularity as innovations are annually introduced to the Fair. As well as shoppers looking for the unusual for themselves or as Christmas presents, craftspeople, gallery owners and tourist shop operators come each year from all over Tasmania and from an increasing number of mainland centres, both to buy for their businesses and to place advance orders. Many visitors from interstate plan their holidays to take in the Fair during the long weekend in the November, which is its traditional date.

   “There is so much to see and do in Tasmania that a visit to the Fair is an excellent excuse, if one is needed anyway, to spend a week or two here,” Mr McLennan said.

   A noticeable trend during the past few years has been the growing number of winemakers and distillers showing their products. These range from homely ginger beer through fruit ports and liqueurs to distilled spirits made from Tasmanian bush fruits. Silversmiths, potters, silk screen printers, woodcrafts from toys to furniture, thousands of teddy bears, home made ice cream, lead light items, handmade soaps and candles, embroidery, glass blowers, home spun clothing - the list of quality items on display and for sale is almost endless.

   You’ve got someone in your family who is hard to buy for when it comes to birthdays and Christmas gifts?  Then the place to come is the Tasmanian Craft Fair at Deloraine on October 30 and 31, and November 1 and 2.

Exhibitor Awards
   Each year, the Tasmanian Craft Fair committee appoints a panel of qualified judges which award prizes to exhibitors. To date the major one has been the Award for Excellence given for over-all quality of crafts, display, working demonstrations and interaction with the public. First and second prizes are given for the best- presented stand and for the best working exhibit. An inclusion in 1997 was the Craft Arts International and TCF Award for artists with exceptional talent that deserved to be recognised. The number and range of awards will be increased again this year to acknowledge a greater range of exhibitors and products.

Facilities and Features
   The public’s comfort has not been forgotten in the 12 months of planning that goes into each fair.  All stalls and working exhibits are under cover in 11 Deloraine auditoriums with free buses running a continuous shuttle service between these venues.  To keep traffic congestion to a minimum, ample parking is provided at several locations on the bus route.  Food stalls are scattered around the venues, most of them run by local organisations, and parents with very young children do appreciate the facilities offered by the Nursing Mothers Association.

   With the fair usually enjoying good spring weather, many patrons take the opportunity for a little gentle exercise, walking from one hall to the next, enjoying the rural town atmosphere, and the pleasant serenity of the lawns and trees on the banks of the Meander River where the Western Tiers provide a majestic backdrop. St Marks Anglican Church is among the venues, but the beautiful cream stucco building with its eye-catching spire is not a trading venue - it offers a massed display by local gardeners and floral artists with the added touch of background organ music.

 Sheepdog Trials
   Again this year the Craft Fair will coincide with the Tasmanian Working Sheepdog Championships at the Deloraine Showground, on the same site and within short walking distance of four of the Fair’s venues.  To compete in these championships, dog trainers with their charges come from all over Australia and New Zealand. This slice of rural life, complete with its canine and human personalities, is a bonus for Craft Fair patrons. This year, the trials, usually run over three days of the Fair, will be extended to four days.

Craft Capital of Australia
   Deloraine is a town with an historic atmosphere, an ideal setting for the event, which has earned its recognition as the Craft Capital of Australia. During the year even away from the hectic pace of the fair, local craftspeople are conducting successful workshops for interested parties in a large range of disciplines. Out reach education in selected craft is now in the pipeline.

Fees and Bookings
   The entrance fees for the TCF will be held yet again at the reasonable rates of Adults $7 and children $2.
Concessions for larger groups can be negotiated by contacting:

   Local enquiries for group travel should be made through Tasmanian Redline Coaches, telephone 1800 623 191, or Tigerline Coaches 1800 030 620. Interstate contact for travel packages is Tasmania Direct on 1800 623 191 or Fax: (03) 6230 8232