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Date: 8/31/2022
SPRINGFIELD – West Springfield’s Gary Fisher has been selling goblets at the Mattoon Street Arts Festival for about 10 years. The goblets, handcrafted from wood, make perfect wedding or anniversary gifts.
He will join 100 other crafters and artists at the 49th annual festival in downtown Springfield on Sept. 10 and 11. Fisher is one of several West Springfield residents who will be marketing their products at this arts and crafts show that’s free for the public.
Other West Side residents include photographer Mary Jeanne “M.J.” Tash of MJ Photography; painter Beth Luczynski; and woodworkers Real and Maria Mercier. The festival, along streets lined with restored brick Victorian row houses, in the city’s first historical district, is the oldest arts and crafts show in Western Massachusetts.
Fisher said after going to numerous craft shows, he knows which ones are worth his time and effort.
“Mattoon is a good show for me and the limited customer base I have for my goblets. People who come here are interested in buying what I have to sell,” he said.
He added that his customers are people who are looking for a unique and special gift for weddings and anniversaries.
“When I come to Mattoon, I get to meet a lot of people who love and appreciate my work,” said Fisher, who also sells wooden bowls and cutting boards that he makes.
He added that the show is well-organized: “They know what they’re doing and also treat the artists very well during the show.”
His goblets are fashioned from a variety of woods – ash, cedar, cherry, mahogany, maple – and have one or two rings around the stem carved from a single piece of wood.
“The rings symbolize an unbroken bond. The double rings are usually for weddings, while the single ring is for anniversaries and friendships,” he explained.
A retired cabinet maker, Fisher started making the goblets a couple of years before his retirement. He crafts them in his basement, using a lathe to turn blocks of wood into works of art.
“It takes me about three hours to make one goblet,” he said. “I usually make them during the winter, then I apply the finish in the spring when there’s better ventilation. I also use a special finish so they’re safe for people to fill with wine or anything else they want to drink.”
Fisher got the idea for the wooden goblets after he saw some during a trip to Bermuda.
“I wanted to get one for my niece, but they had stopped making them when I went back,” he recalled. “So, I made one for her. When I showed a photo of it to someone at a wedding reception, the person suggested I make them to sell at craft fairs.”
He called the goblets “a work of perfection.” Each goblet is 6 inches high and 2¼ to 2½ inches in diameter. Depending on the type of wood and the number of rings, they sell for $55 to $75.
“Because each goblet is handcrafted, from different pieces of wood, no two are alike,” added Fisher.
Like Fisher, Tash has been at the festival for about a decade, showing her photographs. Tash describes herself as “a candid photographer” who specializes in anything that moves.
“In nature, that includes birds and critters,” she said. At her tent, she will be selling images of nature, landscapes, critters, birds – and even Mattoon Street itself – that she’s photographed.
Tash explained that she attended her first Mattoon Street Arts Festival in its early days, long before she even thought about participating, and was soon “hooked” on it.
“This is Springfield at its best,” she said. “Beautiful, well-organized, and truly festive. No one can recreate the Victorian atmosphere and architecture – and celebrate it so well. So welcoming.”
She’s been taking photographs since her dad gave her a camera when she was 10 years old. Tash started showing her photos at church craft shows about a dozen years ago. When she retired from working as a health teacher at West Springfield Middle School in 2017, Tash decided to make photography her main focus.
“It’s not a job and it’s not a hobby, but a vocation to create images that are more than what you see in front of you. It’s what you feel when you see it,” explained Tash, who currently is affiliated with the Robert Floyd Gallery in Southampton.
She’s also the photographer at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield. Tash exhibits her photos of people and liturgical events in the cathedral’s cloister gallery.
“So, nature and liturgy. I know that seems not to have any correlation, but it does. You have to know what’s going to happen just before it happens in both situations, be familiar with the surroundings and the people and/or animals that are interacting in that environment.”
Tash added that the adage “Photography is what I do when I cannot express something with words” is her mantra.
“I’m not sure who said it, but it’s true. I’ve now started working on abstract photography, which is quite a challenge.”
Tash enjoys meeting the people who come to the festival. She especially enjoys the people who return year after year and stop by with old friends.
“I love the music and the people who live on the street. Most important, I love seeing the smile on a person’s face when they find the perfect image. There’s usually a story about why they picked it,” she said.
During the festival, food will be available for purchase from Nosh, Moe’s Dogs, Granny’s Baking Table, Soulao’d Kitchen, Joyful Ice, Island Cow Ice Cream, Allechant Macarons, and CremeBru.LA.
Mattoon Street is located off Chestnut Street, near the Springfield Museums. Free festival parking is available in the TD Bank lot on Dwight Street and Harrison Avenue. On-street parking is free on weekends.