Lyndhurst to Host Annual Fall Crafts Show on Friday-Sunday, September 10-12

One of the EMTs staffing the first aid station at the annual "Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst" fair in Tarrytown last year was Sleepy Hollow resident Shelley Robinson.

When her assistance wasn't needed, she passed the time by sketching and cutting silhouettes "just for the fun of it."

She will do this again at the 26th annual staging of the show on September 10-12, 2010 but this time as an exhibitor called "Silhouettes by Shelley." About 15,000 visitors are expected to attend the three-day event.

Robinson is one of more than 250 artists and merchants who will present their wares at Fall Crafts at Lyndhurst, to be held on the grounds of the estate that was the home of railroad baron Jay Gould.

The familiar mammoth tent that housed about one half of the exhibitors in the past will be gone - replaced by two smaller tents. Also new to the show, said Laura Kandel, assistant director of Artrider Productions, will be an American-brand beer tent where visitors can gather and relax with a brew. About 30 food vendors will participate in the show including three new ones; a crepe station, a soft-pretzel booth and a Vermont ice cream stand. Most of the vendors provide food for eating while browsing the show rather than take-home goods.

Activities for children will be expanded. Women dressed as fairies will sell fairy clothes for children suitable for wearing as Halloween costumes. Merchandise on display will include jewelry, pottery, clothing, sculpture, glassware, woodwork, framed photography and collectibles.

"Sketching, cutting and framing a silhouette takes only about five minutes if there isn't too much chatting involved," Robinson said. Silhouettes can be purchased unframed or framed in a classic old-fashioned black oval frame. A miniature framed silhouette that can stand on a table is also available.  Pricing begins at $5.

Robinson, still an EMT with the Tarrytown Volunteer Ambulance Corp., won't be on duty at Lyndhurst unless there is a serious need for her help.

In addition to being an EMT officer, she plays the violin for the Manhattanville College Orchestra and teaches at the Westchester Community College. Raised in Philadelphia, she majored in Russian at Brown University and earned a Masters Degree from Columbia University where she studied to be a "Teacher of English as a Second Language." She has been a resident of Sleepy Hollow since 1972.

Robinson took up silhouette art recently but she said, "I have been sketching for as long as I can remember."

The show is managed by Artrider Productions, formed in 1983 to run crafts shows at Lyndhurst and elsewhere by Stacey Jarit and her husband and co-director Jeff Sobel, formerly a town planner for the Village of Tarrytown. Sales by artists at the 2009 show were estimated at $1.5 million.

The show opens each day at 10 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m. on Friday and Sunday and at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The admission costs are $10 per adult, $9 for seniors and $4 for children 6 to 16. Parking is free at nearby parking areas with frequent free shuttle-bus service.

Artrider  Productions, P.O. Box 28, Woodstock, New York 12498, 845-331-7900.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, sponsor of the show, holds a similar spring-time show at Lyndhurst. The dates for this event are April 29 to May 1, 2011. The fall 2011 crafts show is scheduled for September 16-18.

Lyndhurst, 635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10591. 635 631-4481. www.lyndhurst.org.