DATE: Friday, August 1, 1997                TAG: 9707310174

SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON   PAGE: 10   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY LORI A. DENNEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

WEEKEND FESTIVAL FEATURES HANDCRAFTED WARES

For Allen and Debbie Greer, nothing beats a good arts and crafts show.

The Aragona couple participate in shows because it gives them a chance to do what they love best - create their handmade pens and talk to curious customers.

``We're both people persons,'' said Debbie Greer, who designs the pens while husband Allen creates them out of hardwood using a lathe. ``People always ask, `You really made these?' Standing there, you can let the public see you make them,'' she added.

The Greers will be tending to the lathe and fashioning their homemade pens this weekend when the 22nd annual Princess Anne Park Art and Craft Festival begins Saturday at Princess Anne Park.

This year's festival, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will be set under the pine trees of Princess Anne Park at the corner of Princess Anne and Dam Neck roads.

Some 106 artists from all over the country, including folks from California, Maine and Florida will be demonstrating their talents and selling their handcrafted wares.

Products will include everything from wooden toys, quilts, clothing, photographs, paintings, pottery, jewelry, sculptures, cookbooks and wooden carvings, to name a few.

``All things sold must be handmade by the exhibiting artists,'' said Caroline Ansel, Parks and Recreation specialist in charge of the show.

For the second time, the festival is featuring a ``clothesline art show'' where children from different groups and organizations have been invited to decorate a bedsheet and enter it into the show for a chance at a pizza party.

Another contest, Critters in the Park, is also for groups of children who can come up with the best animal made of recycled materials.

Throughout the show, festival goers will be treated to ongoing demonstrations of Raku firing, glass blowing, painting, pot throwing, wood crafting, puppet making, silhouette cutting and more.

Musical entertainment for all ages includes a children's area with face painting, clowns, puppet shows, jugglers, storytellers, magic shows and music. This year, the festival has expanded to include more musical entertainment.

There are no plans, however, to expand the number of participants in the future. ``We don't want it to get too big that it's overwhelming,'' Ansel said.

That concept sits fine with artists like the Greers, who relish the opportunity to talk one-on-one with folks who pass by their booth.

``We love to talk and tell people about the craft,'' Debbie Greer said. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHARLIE MEADS

The Greers will fashion their homemade pens Saturday and Sunday.

Allen Greer uses a lathe to create the pens that his wife Debbie

designs. They'll sell them at the Princess Anne Park Art and Craft

Festival.

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