Throughout its history Nederland has established itself as a beacon for both the stalwart and the ingenious. Nederland is a town with a great mining history. The town that fostered a hippie migration in the sixties and that would later become the mountain Mecca for musicians throughout the seventies and eighties. Nederland is the place with the famous frozen dead guy, and Nederland is the place made infamous by the celebratory festival of said dead guy.

Those who dream big, those who work hard, those who are impassioned to create all find a home here in Nederland, as this town and its community has always embraced both the free and the entrepreneurial spirit. This is the spirit that drives such special events as the Pop-Up Holiday Fair, which is celebrating its “seventh” year as a pocket festival on Wednesday, December 7, 2022, from 6 and 9 p.m. at the Covered Wagon at 15 East 1st Street.

“So Carrie Bladyka and I started this pop up seven years ago,” event organizer and local artist Heather Taylor-Lande told The Mountain-Ear. “But more like nine; we shaved off some years,” Taylor-Lande jokes.

The event began as a way to celebrate and highlight local artists and artisans by giving them a platform to showcase and sell their custom crafts and creations. The fair has popped up within several local businesses over the years, including the Stage Stop and Knotted Root, and will pop up within the Covered Wagon this year.

“We’ve been keeping it small and versatile and trying not to have any competing crafts or arts,” Taylor-Lande said, noting that this year’s event will feature more than twelve artists and artisans, including herself and Bladyka.

Taylor-Lande, whose art can be seen on display at Tres Gringos and Ned’s, will be present at the fair with her bright and unique paintings, in addition to light switch covers, plaques, and custom coffee thermoses. Bladyka is bringing her colorful assortment of knitted hats, which she creates under her label Sun Dog.

Craft makers of all kinds will be at the fair, from ceramists to glassblowers, including jewelers like Evelyn Blodgett and soap makers like Chelsea Gilbert. Various mediums of art will be represented at the fair, including photography by James DeWalt, tie-dye by Jake Kaiser, and paintings by artists that dwell in both the natural and surreal.

The culinary arts will also be represented at the Pop-Up Holiday Fair, with Mike Foster of Burning Bridges presenting a selection of their hot sauces, and local pastry chef Natalie Duplessy will be bringing an assortment of pies, cookies, and other confectionery treats to sell, just in time for the holidays.

This event is not only to highlight Nederland’s artists and craft makers, but also to give the gift of art, of creation, and of the holiday spirit to all those who attend. There is no cover charge for the 7th Annual Pop-Up Holiday Fair, as locals and visitors alike are invited to stop into the Covered Wagon on Wednesday, December 7 between 6 and 9 p.m. to shop and show their support for local artists.

For more information on some of the artists and artisans featured at this year’s pop-up, please go to:

The Art of Heather Taylor

https://www.theartofheathertaylor.com

James DeWalt Photography

https://www.jamesdewaltphotography.com

Spinning Silica

https://www.spinningsilica.com

Burning Bridges hot sauce

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