War Eagle Fair

**Reprinted from the 60th Anniversary War Eagle Fair Guide Book**      Every fall, thousands of people converge on the War Eagle River valley.   For sixty years, they have come from near and far to the War Eagle Fair to shop, eat, and create memories.   Throughout its history, the fair has been many things to many people.   To some, it is part of their livelihood and how they preserve their art.   To others, it is an annual family outing.   To me, it is where I come from, a member of my family, a living legacy left behind by those who came before me.      I was born in the summer of 1982, the year before the fair’s thirtieth anniversary.   My father, Fred Jr., is the grandson of Blanche Elliott who founded the War Eagle Fair in 1954.   At the time that I was born, the Ozark Arts and Crafts Fair Association, the non-profit organization behind the fair, sponsored three events each year: a spring arts and craft...

The War Eagle Fair has a rich history, full of stories that are just begging to be told.  For this reason, the history of the Fair will have to be told over multiple posts.  That, after all, is part of the purpose for this blog.  We want to share more than just a blurb with you about the Fair.  But, before we start our trip down memory lane, I thought it would be good to do a short version of the Fair's history. The War Eagle Fair was founded in 1954.  It was the brainchild of Blanche Elliott.  After a successful week of a weaving course hosted in War Eagle by the Northwest Arkansas Handweavers Guild which ended with a exhibition of items created during the course, Mrs. Elliott was inspired to put together an arts and crafts fair with the beautiful War Eagle River valley as the backdrop.  Fall was chosen in order to showcase the colorful beauty of the Ozarks foliage as well as the traditional arts and crafts.     The first War Eagle...