The Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi will host the 40th annual Chimneyville Crafts Festival Dec. 1-3 at the Mississippi Trade Mart in Jackson.

The event features 150 exhibiting guild members and approximately 170 booths of traditional and contemporary craft works in wood, pottery, glass, fiber, metal, basketry, jewelry and more. Kent and Winki Allen of Enterprise, both members of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, are among participating artists.

Regular festival days are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10.

The Chimneyville Crafts Festival began in 1976 and serves as a revenue source for the individual artisans who exhibit and sell their work. It’s the largest annual fundraiser for the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, a private, nonprofit organization that promotes, educates and preserves high standards for craft.

For more information, visit www.mscrafts.org.

Artists support cancer fund

Amanda Cassell with Give Hope Designs and Felicia Robbins with Robbins Roost Designs are donating proceeds for November and December to the Cancer Patient Benevolence Fund through Anderson Regional Cancer Center. The two share a booth at The Atrium Mini Mall, 5009 Highway 493.  

Cassell’s art focuses on art that encourages and provides hope. She incorporates bible scriptures and old hymnal pages that are inspirational while working with reclaimed wood and heavy plaster.

“I worked the oncology floor fresh out of my internship as a dietitian,” Cassell said in a news release. “Then, years later, I became a home health RD, witnessing the struggles of families who couldn’t afford, but desperately needed, nutrition through their feeding tubes. For some patients, it was their only form of nutrition. It’s a heartbreaking thing to see someone suffer and not be able to get the services they desperately need. It’s been on my heart for some time now to give to the local cancer benevolence fund and I felt like this was a small way to give back to those who need help.”

Robbins has been painting since she was 12. As a busy mom of three, she has put the brush down and picked it back up several times since then.

“We had always talked about being in prayer as far as donations were concerned,” Robbins said in a news release. “I have several friends whose children or themselves have been affected by cancer. Amanda happened to contact me about the benevolent fund the exact same day I found out that a friend had received bad news on her scans. We met with the overseers of the benevolent fund and talked with them about ourselves and our businesses. It’s just special to our hearts.”

Suzanne Marshall writes the Neighbors column for The Meridian Star. Submit items to editor@themeridianstar.com.