Post updated at 2:01 p.m. Thursday, May 11:
Lawrence artist Chelsea Rezabek will soon host her third artist-centered community event, featuring more than 30 local vendors offering handmade arts and crafts, homemade food and live music.
Spring for Handmade is set for 3 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 12 at at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St.
Booths will be set up in Building 21, and bluegrass singer Tyler Gregory and jazz musician Blue Noyse will perform. Food trucks will have a variety of snacks and meals available for purchase.
“My goal has been to provide a space for artists to make money and not make money off of the artists,” Rezabek said via email. “I am an artist myself and I know so many talented locals.”
In addition to supporting local artists by offering low booth fees, Rezabek incorporates a philanthropic aspect into each event. She hosted a fundraiser during last year’s fair that raised more than $500 to benefit the educational programs at the Lied Center.
Just a few weeks after the 2022 event, Christopher Franzke, a close friend and talented musician Rezabek had hired to perform during the fair, took his own life.
“As I was organizing for this year, I felt compelled to do something in his memory,” Rezabek said.
To honor Franzke and support the Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters, Rezabek decided to waive the booth fees for some vendors who agreed to donate a percentage of their sales to the organization. Third Planet agreed to sponsor the event to offset the financial impact of doing so.
“Having these smaller community events … keeps people connected and creates a community that interacts to become better,” Rezabek said.
See the full list of vendors in attendance at this link. If you can’t make it but still wish to support the KSPHQ, visit this link to make a donation.
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Chloe Anderson (she/her) contributed to The Lawrence Times from August 2022 through May 2023. She is also published in Climbing magazine, Kansas Reflector and Sharp End Publishing. As a recent graduate of the University of Kansas, Chloe plans to continue her career in photography, rock climbing and writing somewhere out West.
You can view her portfolio, articles and commissioned work here. Check out more of her work for the Times here.
