COLRAIN — The 23rd annual Crafts of Colrain Open Studio Tour invites residents and visitors alike to explore the hills and scenery of Colrain, showcasing 19 different artists and artisans at 16 studios.
The self-guided tour will be held Saturday, Nov. 7, and Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
“I’m not sure I’m the only original but I’m an original,” said Al Ladd, a woodworker who’s been involved with Crafts of Colrain since its inception in 2003. “Because it’s been 23 years now, we’re kind of a fixture, so there are a lot of people who just make it part of their yearly recreational shopping schedule.”
Justin Korby, the founder of Stoneman Brewery and a longtime participant in the open studio tour, said Colrain is in a unique place when it comes to artists and artisans, as there’s not many businesses in town.
“That’s what makes it unique as a craft tour, because you have to go to people’s houses, essentially, and look at their studios, and buy crafts from people who normally don’t have a storefront,” Korby said. “Some of the people are hobbyists, and some are professionals, so it’s kind of a good way to help build the community and get more people to come out.”
Korby said Stoneman Brewery has been part of the tour since the ninth iteration in 2012. Currently offering a sign-up for a “Beer CSA” on his website, Korby said Crafts of Colrain marks one of the busiest weekends for his company, which uses 100% local ingredients.
“I want to have a business model of brewing with 100% local ingredients, because there wasn’t … anyone doing that as a business model,” Korby said. “Since 2012, that’s been my motto and I stuck with it.”
Outside of beer from Stoneman Brewing, several other crafts are available for perusal and purchase on the self-guided tour, including but not limited to woodworking, jewelry ceramics, photography and calligraphy.
New to the lineup of artisans this year is Rebekah Novak, who makes skincare products out of beef tallow. She’ll be at Woodslawn Family Farm, 152 Wilson Hill Road, on Saturday and Sunday, listed as Studio 12 on the Crafts of Colrain tour stops.
“I live in Colrain, and I’ve been looking at going through the tour for a couple years,” Novak said. “Last year, right about this time, I was like, ‘I wonder if I could get in here.’ So, I started talking to the group and asked them if I could join. … I joined and our first meeting was back in March. I’ve been going to the meetings and this is my first tour. I’m excited.”
Novak said her husband is a hunter, and her family tries to use 100% of the animal. Testing out tallow skincare products as a Christmas gift, Novak said they were a big hit. With her husband also being a beef farmer, Novak said she made the change to using beef tallow instead, as there’s much more fat that’s produced from their cows than is needed.
“I moved on to using the fat from the farm, which is right there. We send it to the butcher [and] we have the opportunity to get that fat back,” Novak explained. “I know how those animals were raised, I know what went into them, so I know there’s nothing else [that’s] funky in there.”
More information on the 23rd rendition of Crafts of Colrain can be found at CraftsofColrain.com. The website includes a list of participating artists and their specialties, along with a map showing the locations of the studios.
“Colrain is huge and extremely beautiful,” Ladd said. “[Crafts of Colrain] is a great excuse for people to get out to the ends of the dead-end roads in the far reaches of Colrain, just below Vermont, and see what people are up to.”
