Presidential Address

We hope all is well and this finds you happy and healthy. As you may have already been aware, our Harvest Festival at the Conrad Weiser Homestead that was scheduled to take place on September 26th has been cancelled. I think it is an understatement to say that 2020 has definitely taken turns that nobody could have predicted and the ever changing climate that our country is currently in has left many of us to face some very difficult decisions that were not even in the recesses of our minds 8 months ago.

The cancellation of all our 2020 fundraising events and the uncertainty around when the Governor will be allowing the historic sites to re-open along with adamancy that events larger than 250 people will be prohibited until a vaccine is available has left us with no choice but to close the doors to Artisans In The Park Organization, Inc.

We are so grateful to everyone involved within the communities and for all of the support that you have shown not just our organization, but the amazing historic sites that we have had the honor of helping to preserve over the past 5 years.

Our family looks forward to continuing to work with you and the community where we can through our family business, Robesonia Redware, moving forward. We also hope that you and the community will continue to show support to the amazing historic sites beyond Artisans In The Park. This was definitely not a message I thought I would be writing for years to come, but as they say, when one door opens….

Hello Friends,

We hope all is well and this finds you happy and healthy. As you may be aware, the historic sites under the Pennsylvania Historic Museum Commission are still closed and Governor Wolf has put a ban on events over 250 people. After much discussion and review, the Harvest Festival at the Conrad Weiser Homestead for September 26, 2020 has been cancelled. We are beyond disappointed to have another event cancellation and we look forward to seeing you all soon. Until then we wish you peace of mind, safety and good health.

We hope all is well and this finds you happy and healthy. As you may be aware, Lancaster County is still in the Red Phase of the re-opening plan issued by Governor Wolf. After much discussion and review of the guidance provided by the phased re-opening plan, the Shop & Stroll at the Ephrata Cloister for June 27, 2020 has been postponed until June 26, 2021. We are beyond disappointed to have come to this decision and hope that as things return to normal, you will help in supporting the beautiful Ephrata Cloister thru their wonderful educational and community programs throughout the rest of the year. We also hope that we will see you at the Harvest Festival at the Conrad Weiser Homestead on September 26, 2020. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and our website for more information on all of our events. We look forward to getting back to business as usual and until then we wish you peace of mind, safety and good health.

Business Spotlight - Answering The Call

We hope all is well and this finds you happy and healthy. As we all are going through some of the most trying times that we have faced in our lives, I think it is important to help bring focus to the thing that are going on around us that are positive. If you have noticed during our events, our team sports some stylish looking polo shirts with our logo beautifully embroidered on our chest. These great shirts are thanks to a local company, RockHound Apparel, which is based right out of Womelsdorf, PA. We also have our jackets printed there, our family business gets our shirts done there and they even do vinyl. As if we weren't happy enough with the wonderful work that our fellow Conrad Weiser alumni Nathan Moore, owner and operator of RockHound Apparel, has been doing since he began in his basement in 2010 and grew to his current location on 109 E. High St, in Womelsdorf, PA, RockHound is now answering the call to help their fellow businesses during these trying economic times. Two weeks ago, RockHound Apparel started www.HereForGoodPA.com, a community-minded fundraising opportunity for small businesses looking for financial relief in the current economy. 100% of the proceeds of the campaign are going directly to small business owners.

The initiative is a simple concept: Each participating business has a logo tee shirt in the HereForGoodPA online store and receives $10 in relief funds for each sale of their design. The idea for the initiative was recently presented Moore, by a colleague who started HereForGood in St. Louis, MO. The campaign has since grown to include participation in over 10 states. After reaching out to a handful of local clients with the idea, Moore was quickly inundated with requests to sign up. In just under 4 days, the store grew from 20 business listings to over 100 and is already approaching 500+ orders. Many of these businesses have called on their patrons via social media outlets, helping the campaign receive an outpouring wave of support from local communities. Nathan said “My business was deemed non-essential and I wanted to try and help those who were in the same position. After I learned about the idea, I knew this was the perfect opportunity.” All orders from the website are preorder sales and will be fulfilled by RockHound when they are again operational, but the relief funds raised are going to the businesses weekly to provide support now.

We couldn't be more proud to help to shine the spotlight on such a noble cause from a local small business. Check out the website, support your local businesses, if you are a small business owner who needs some help, join the initiative, help us spread the word. Do whatever you can to help each other during these trying times and when you are looking for great screen printing, embroidery or vinyl, call RockHound Apparel!

Sincerely,

D. Michelle Pearson, President

Bringing In The New Year!

A new year has begun and we are already gearing up for our 2020 events. We can’t wait to bring you a great day of shopping, food and fun for the whole family to enjoy while we help preserve history through art. We are so grateful for the overwhelming support that has made it possible for us to be able to bring you our 5th annual Spring Show at the Conrad Weiser Homestead on May 2, 2020, our 2nd annual Shop & Stroll at the Ephrata Cloister on June 27, 2020 and our 2nd annual Harvest Festival at the Conrad Weiser Homestead on September 26, 2020. Not only can you expect to see more of the amazing and diverse quality of handmade art, mouth-watering food and delicious drinks that our events feature, but you’ll love the live entertainment, fun give-away games and creative new additions that we will be premiering this year like our Harvest Festival “Artisan Showcase” Contest!