Springfest undeterred by windy weather

OCEAN CITY, Md – Friday was not the picture-perfect beach day that most imagine when they think of Ocean City, but there was so much going on at Springfest that cool weather and some wind were not going to keep the crowds away.

Walking through those big tents I was blown away by the effort and creativity of the hundreds of vendors there: Light fixtures, paintings on driftwood, wire sculptures, even custom whiskey and wine rocks. Kit Hanson of Sandyhook Art Glass Studio told me that out of the dozens of events she goes to every year, nothing compares to the festivals they holds in Ocean City: “We live here in Ocean Pines close by, so Springfest and Sunfest are our best shows, the ones that we like the most. And we really like them because we get to meet an awful lot of vendors from across the country”

The vendors and artists really get a chance to mingle and learn from each other. Many have been coming to the event for years, but for one vendor I spoke with–Rustic Back Porch from Pennsylvania–it wasn’t just their first time at Springfest, it was their first show ever!

I spoke with one man who comes out here from western Maryland every single year for Springfest, he said that it was bigger than he’d ever seen it before. While my friend Bill hadn’t found a favorite food vendor yet, he made sure he was taking a piece of the festival home to share: “Haven’t made it to the food tents yet, but we bought a few things for the grandkids. It’s always nice, you always find something different.”