War Eagle Fair

A view from above: The Fair in the 80s War Eagle is nestled in a beautiful river valley amongst the rolling hills of Northwest Arkansas.  The journey is a scenic one regardless of what time of year you decide to make it.  However, if you are not a local, or even if you are a local but not familiar with the more rural areas of Northwest Arkansas, finding War Eagle can seem challenging.  Here are some basic directions from a few different directions.  (For more specific directions, we recommend that you use Google Maps or Mapquest .  You can put in 11037 High Sky Inn Rd, Hindsville, AR in as the physical address.) Please note that we recommend arriving from the Springdale/Fayetteville direction in order to avoid traffic back-ups around the historic War Eagle Bridge.  Also note, our parking fee is collected when you exit our parking lots .  This keeps traffic from backing up on the roads.  If you pay a parking fee when you enter the parking...

The beloved War Eagle Bridge is aging, quickly. In an effort to slow the deterioration process until  repairs or replacement can be done, the Benton County Road Department and Arkansas Highway & Transportation Division have put out the following restrictions in regards to traffic crossing the bridge. Please be aware that these are being very strictly enforced . Plan ahead for any adjustments to your normal travel. No vehicles weighing more than 3 tons will be allowed to cross the bridge.  To put that in perspective, that is barely more than a Chevy Tahoe with 4 passengers. No vehicles pulling trailers will be allowed to cross. No box trucks. Only one vehicle will be allowed to cross at a time. Pedestrian traffic will also be closely monitored and a limited number of people will be allowed on the bridge at a time. These restrictions and precautions will cause delays .  In order to minimize the delays, we are recommending that all visitors plan t...

Parking at the War Eagle Fair costs $3 per car.  Many people who have visited the Fair for many years know that we have not always charged a fee for parking.  However, we started charging the parking fee a few years back for a number of reasons. There are many expenses incurred when hosting an event as large as the War Eagle Fair. One of those expenses is traffic control.  Each year more than a hundred thousand people converge on the War Eagle River Valley to attend the Fair.  Traffic control is essential to keeping those people flowing in and out in an orderly fashion.  The War Eagle Fair pays the Benton County Sheriff's Department to provide this traffic control for us.  Many other expenses, such as electricity and water, tent rental, and grounds maintenance, are incurred in order to not only put the Fair on each year but to keep it running as smoothly as visitors have come to expect. The War Eagle Fair is sponsored by the Ozark Arts and Crafts Fair A...

     It's been a busy first year of business for Ryan and Amanda Fitzgerald of FITZ Fabrications.      The Tulsa, Oklahoma, couple came to the craft world after making a few LED illuminated signs from old barn tin.  After receiving several compliments and comments on the signs, they decided to make a few more signs to test the market for selling them.  The signs sold quickly and it's been a steady rise for them since.      In the last year, their business has expanded to include more craft fairs, an ever expanding Facebook following, and a partnership with Country Outfitter.  They also ship their items to states across the nation every week.  For the Fitzgerald's, "it's a fulfilling thought to think people all over the nation are being encouraged, inspired, and reminded of their blessing by our products hanging in their personal spaces."  One of their first signs sold was a sign that said "HOPE" a...

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodds Country Memories Soap began about ten years ago after Sarah Dodds saw someone at a craft fair selling beautiful soaps.  She returned home to Bogard, Missouri, and taught herself the craft of soapmaking.  Today, she participates in craft shows from Washington to Illinois, including the War Eagle Fair each October. Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodds Sarah has been exhibiting at War Eagle since 2009.  She says they came to the War Eagle Fair because they "heard that War Eagle had a wonderful reputation" and "wanted to be a part of it."  Like so many others, Sarah's favorite part of War Eagle is the scenery. When it comes to fellow exhibitors, Koelzer Bee Farm tops her list of favorites. Photo Courtesy of Sarah Dodds When we asked Sarah for her best advice for other crafters, she put it quite simply: always produce the best product possible.  She follows this advice herself.  Sarah is proud of her Country Memories soaps...

Being a new exhibitor at the War Eagle Fair is exciting, but it can be a little overwhelming as well.  We hope that this post will answer some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive from new exhibitors (and seasoned exhibitors sometimes too!). How big is my booth? 8 feet deep by 13 feet wide Is electricity provided? Yes!  Each booth is outfitted with electricity provided through overhead lighting. A limited quantity of adapters are available at the fair office but you are encouraged to bring your own. Do I need to bring my own tent? No.  Our event is organized under four large, circus-style tents and in one large, permanent exhibit building.  Everything is under cover, so there is no need to bring your own tent. Can I get a double booth? Not during your first year.  Years ago, we adopted some guidelines and rules for assigning double booths.  First year exhibitors do not qualify for double booths.  There are a very li...

We are pretty sure we have the most awesome exhibitors in the universe.  This diverse group of interesting people are some of the most talented and hardworking individuals we know.  They work throughout the year to create the amazing items that bring people out each October.  Without them, the War Eagle Fair would not be what it is today.  So, we decided that they should get a little time front and center on the blog through exhibitor features.  This new blog feature will put the spotlight on one exhibitor each week (maybe more if we can squeeze it in!).  You'll find out who they are, what they do, and why they love their craft.  Not only will you get to read about our fabulous exhibitors, but we will also throw in a few pictures.  Check back soon for the first of many exciting exhibitor features!

How do I become an exhibitor at the War Eagle Fair? We get this question a lot.  It is probably among the top three questions asked around here.  Becoming an exhibitor at the War Eagle Fair starts with submitting a screening application (click here to download yours).  The screening application is your chance to blow our jury away with your unique, quality, handmade items.  It's a basic introduction to you, with information on you, your craft, and your experience. Once you have completed your screening application, select the pictures you wish to submit with it.  We ask for four to six photos.  Included among these photos, we want to see your items.  Make sure to show us good pictures that reflect your item as positively as possible.  We also want to see the process you go through to make your items.  The process photos are an important part of the screening process but tend to be the most forgotten.  The third type of photo to be ...

Hello from the beautiful War Eagle River valley and welcome to our new blog! We are so excited about our new official War Eagle Fair blog.  This will be a place where we share many things about the Fair.  You can expect to see stories about our history, information and updates on upcoming events, and features on our fabulous exhibitors, among other exciting things.  Over time a pattern to our posts will probably emerge, so you'll be able to check back on days that the topics interest you. Many (probably most) of the posts will be written by Cole Seal.  Cole is the great-granddaughter of Fair founder, Blanche Elliott, as well as a board member and coordinator of most of our social media.  She's been around the Fair for her entire life and looks forward to sharing the Fair's rich history as well as current endeavors with readers. Be sure to check back regularly.  We will also mention new blog posts on our Facebook page and Twitter feed to jog your mem...