ART & CULTURE Gourd Society Festival brings its artful craft to Melbourne

BY BETTY PORTER

Want to see how gourds are crafted into artful pieces? You can by attending the 24th annual Florida Gourd Society Festival to be held Feb. 24 to 26.

This year’s festival will be at the Azan Shriners Center at 1591 W. Eau Gallie Blvd. in Melbourne. Admission is free. The hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m on Sunday.

“You’ll be amazed at the many varieties of gourds and the items created,” said Therese Ferguson, one of the founding members and a past president of the Florida Gourd Society. “Gourd crafting has grown over the years to become an art form. You will see gourds crafted into musical instruments, jewelry, statues, lamps, masks and more. Artists today use wood burning, chip and power carving, weaving, painting and inks and dyes to create their one-of-a-kind pieces of art, some decorative and some functional.”

Gourd growers from farms across the southern states will provide a huge selection of gourds for sale. There will be vendors with craft supplies and tools, gourd crafting demos, a competition area with more than 60 categories, 20 classes, food all weekend as well as silent auctions, basket raffles and a white elephant table. The event is for all ages with a Kids Corner make-and-take area included, which allows children and adult to decorate a small gourd item.

“A variety of classes will be taught by top instructors who come in from around the country,” Ferguson said. Classes are individually priced and fees vary. To see the class selections, supplies needed and to register, go to Flgourdsoc.org

The Florida Gourd Society was started by a group of Floridians interested in growing and crafting gourds. The first show was in Belleview at the Markets of Marion. It moved to the fairgrounds in Palatka and since 2011 has been held in Melbourne. The Florida Gourd Society is one of 23 such state chapters across the United Stated having the common goal of educating and promoting gourding as a hobby and an art form.

There are currently six gourd patch groups in Florida, including the Brevard Gourd Society which meets once a month at the Eau Gallie Public Library the first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. SL