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Honored Kutztown Festival Set To Kick Off Next Month Nine days of wholesome family fun with a distinctive Pennsylvania Dutch flavor awaits visitors at the Kutztown Festival June 30 - July 8, 2007 at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. Now in its 58th year, the festival is the oldest, continuing folk life festival in America. It is one of the largest, too, and drew over 130,000 visitors last summer. Among many honors, the festival has been twice selected as one of America's Top 100 events by the American Bus Association, and was named by the Washington Post as one of three "must see" festivals in the regions. "There is so much to do at the 2007 Festival. There is literally something for everyone, including our famous folklore programs, the huge quilt show, folk art and crafts, music, dancing and entertainment running continuously on six stages, an expanded program of children's activities and, of course, the best Pennsylvania Dutch food anywhere," according to Festival Executive Director Dave Fooks. Traditions and skills that date to the early 19th century are found in the folk arts and crafts at the festival. Many of the techniques used in woodcarving, metal crafts, and other specialties have been passed down in families over generations. Some 200 Pennsylvania German and other early American folk artisans demonstrate their skills in diverse crafts including fine furniture, miniatures, pottery making, clothing, musical instruments, hand-painted art, iron ornaments, weavings, brooms, cut paper art known as "scherenschnitte," Pennsylvania German calligraphic writing called "fraktur," beeswax candles and more. Eastern Pennsylvania's finest traditional hex sign painters - in fact the last hex sign artists in the nation - are among the folk artists at the festival. For decades, Ivan Hoyt and Bill Schuster have demonstrated and sold their barn signs, milk cans, and decorative miniatures at the Kutztown Festival. Eric Claypoole carries on the hex art painting traditions learned from his late father, An art show in itself, the exhibition and sale of nearly 2,500 beautiful, hand-made Pennsylvania German motif quilts is one of the most popular events at the festival. These masterpieces represent countless hours of dedicated work by quilters in the region. The quilt show and sale have become famous across the eastern United States. Now the largest quilt sales event in the nation, the show draws the attention of thousands of visitors each day at the Festival.
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