Many years ago, I used to sell my jewelry at arts and crafts shows throughout the east coast of Florida. I did this for about eight years before I turned to writing more about jewelry than selling it. My time at the shows was a huge amount of work, but it was a wonderful learning experience as well.

Now I get to be a customer again, and I always have my eye out for that extra special piece of hand-crafted jewelry. The type of jewelry piece that friends will comment on, but alas, they won't be able to get that easily because you bought it from a jewelry artist at a show.

If you live in Kentucky and love craft shows, then you might want to check out the Kentucky Crafted show this March. Here are the details from a press release they send me:

The national award winning Kentucky Crafted: The Market is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The event is open to the general public March 3-4.

Kentucky Crafted: The Market ranked as the number one Art Fair and Festival in the country, according to a national on-line survey conducted by American Style Magazine.

The Southeast Tourism Society has also named Kentucky Crafted: The Market as one of the Top Twenty Events in The Southeast for the twelfth time.

The show features approximately 300 exhibitors of contemporary and traditional craft, two-dimensional visual art, books, musical recordings, and "Kentucky Proud" food products as well as live performances on the Kentucky Cultural Stage and children's educational craft activities (ages 4-12).

Kentucky's craft industry contributes 252 million dollars to the state's economy. An additional impact of 147 million dollars is realized through sales made outside of Kentucky . The Market is a collaborative effort among several state agencies and cabinets, which promote Kentucky 's rich cultural heritage while supporting the state's economy and generates 2 to 3 million dollars in direct sales.

New for the 2007 Market will be a special 25th Anniversary Retrospective Exhibit sponsored by silver sponsor Brown-Forman and special lighting designed and furnished by Osram Sylvania. This informative display will feature original and long-time exhibitors of Kentucky Crafted: The Market, an historical overview of how the Market has grown since 1982 and the impact it has had on the growth of Kentucky 's craft industry.

Market shoppers will find 54 new exhibitors this year in six different exhibitor categories. The one-of-a kind Gallery section will be returning featuring more booths this year, totaling 67 exhibitors in this area.

The Osram Sylvania Design Showcase will be created by interior design students from the University of Kentucky in conjunction with KCM and silver sponsor, Osram Sylvania. The students will arrange products from Market exhibitors to feature in room settings, illustrating how Kentucky 's impressive cache of art, craft, and other products can be used in everyday settings.

The Kentucky Arts Council (KAC) will promote the work of artists who have received Kentucky Arts Council Fellowships or who have been accepted into programs such as the Performing Arts on Tour Directory. The KAC booth will include the works of Kentucky artists in the form of recorded music and videos for sale. Live performance will be featured on the Cultural Stage for both Saturday and Sunday.

The Children and Family Traditions area will be presented by the Kentucky Historical Society, The Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, and The Little Loomhouse. This area will offer children ages 4-12 opportunities in weaving, making stringed instruments, Japanese paper folding, and the art of Chinese paper cutting.

The event will be held at and will be held in Louisville at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center , South Wing B.

The Market is produced by Kentucky Craft Marketing, a program of the Kentucky Arts Council, a state agency in the Commerce Cabinet. For more information, call 888-KYCRAFT (592-7238), local (502) 564-3757, or visit our web site at: www.kycraft.ky.gov .

Come celebrate 25 years of quality and style!
Public Days March 3 - 4

Saturday, 9am - 6pm - Sunday, 10am - 5pm, (EST)

Adults $8 Children (ages 15 and under Free) Parking $5