Blue skies were the backdrop for the seventh Midway Arts Festival on Saturday, as artists, craftsmen, authors, musicians and period-dressed tour guides provided entertainment.

The festival was a part of the homecoming weekend celebration of the Midway Society.

Visitors checked out the arts and crafts, while smells of Southern barbecue by Dickey’s Barbeque Pit and music by the band Night Rhythms permeated the air.  Inside the Midway Museum, authors signed books in a variety of genres from mystery to history, communication skills, humor and culture.  

“There was something for everyone,” museum executive director Diane Kroell said. “Attendees perused jewelry, paintings, woodworking, crafts, clothing, books and enjoyed wonderful entertainment in the Midway Church.”

Buyers were able to select from a variety of jewelry. Jewelry designer Pam Takacs of Sunflower Art Glass, Fire, Wire and Glass with Sass, started with stain glass in 1986. Her passion moved to mosaics and onto working with a torch and flame to create handmade beads. That led to using the colorful beads in jewelry.

“My favorite thing is to melt glass and make beads,” Takacs said. “But I also enjoy working with wire.”

Takacs uses the Viking Knit, a technique in which she wraps 24-gauge wire around a dowel to create a unique design.

Marilyn Durbin, an emergency-room nurse at Liberty Regional Medical Center, joined Takacs to showcase her designs.

“I started making jewelry as a hobby,” Durbin said.  “It was something interesting to do.”

“I incorporate different cultures into my work,” jewelry designer Dottie Anderson said while pointing to a woven bracelet.  “My specialty is peyote.”

Anderson also uses the Kumi technique, a centuries-old Japanese braiding technique as seen in her exquisite woven necklaces.

“It is fun to make something beautiful that brings joy at a reasonable price,” Anderson said.

Anderson paused and picked up a piece of jewelry.  

“A woman feels good when she wears pretty jewelry,” she said.

Dianna Lane had colorful fish birdhouses for the buyer looking for whims. Woodworker Steve Hubner of Sunbury featured bowls and pedestal candleholders made of local woods such as oak, cedar, hickory and poplar. His knotty yellow pine table was available for order.
Bianca Croft, general manager of Hampton Island, provided naturally grown produce from the development’s organic farm.  

A highlight of the day included the opportunity to meet local authors such as Patricia Barefoot (“Falling for Coastal Magic”), Debra Ayers Brown (“Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from Heaven”), Meredith Devendorf (“Images of America: Liberty County; Sauce and Sass Cookbook”), Van Jones Martin (“Liberty County, A Pictorial History”), Harry Rubin (“Sunken Treasure”), Jane Shearhouse Alexuk (“Andie Beth Steps”), Taylor Schoettle (“A Beachcombers Guide to Georgia’s Barrier Islands”), Buddy Sullivan (“Early Days on the Georgia Tidewater”), Henrietta Weaver (“Closed for Menopause and Romancing Your Cakes”), D.R. Willis (“Lonely Deceptions”) and Dr. Richard Wright (“Stop the Church’s Revolving Doors: Building Relationships with Church Members”).