Autumn weather kept us on our toes, but nothing dampened the spirit of Waterford! From unseasonably warm sunshine on Friday to Sunday’s misty drizzle, the 82nd Annual Waterford Fair brought our community together for three memorable days of heritage crafts, historic discovery, and vibrant music. Through heat, rain, and everything in between, fairgoers, artisans, and volunteers filled our village streets with enthusiasm and true community spirit.
This year’s Fair was filled with unforgettable moments throughout the village. With the launch of our new All-Weekend Pass, visitors enjoyed the flexibility to explore at their own pace, soaking in three full days of living history, artisan demonstrations, and live music.
One of the truly heartwarming events of the weekend was welcoming home Maranda Stewart Hough’s 166-year-old friendship album. Originally kept in Waterford in 1860, the journal was recently discovered in a San Francisco thrift store for just $1.99 by artist Margarete Miller (shown below with three of Maranda’s great-grandsons). Fairgoers gathered at the Waterford Craft School tent to view the historic journal, while young visitors got creative making their own handmade keepsake journals to take home.
Miller’s featured presentation was just one of many highlights in our popular Tent Talk series this year, which saw standing-room-only crowds throughout the weekend! Attendees turned out in full force for engaging sessions covering fascinating regional history, from Loudoun’s Revolutionary War Diary and The Virginia House-Wife: Cooking, Perfumery, & Household Secrets of 1824 to Dr. Glenn McIntyre’s talk, Crafting the Weapons that Won the Revolutionary War. Following his presentation, many guests continued the conversation with Dr. McIntyre at the Gun Shop, which celebrated its 75th year as a featured Fair exhibit!
Throughout the village, both indoors and out, talented juried artisans in historic attire demonstrated age-old traditional techniques and hosted hands-on kids’ activities. In total, over 200 artists and artisans brought their crafts to life across the Fair! Fairgoers perused handmade goods at the Old Mill Shop, admired bespoke handmade wreaths and centerpieces at the Dried Flower Barn, and viewed judged competition pieces and local works at Art at the Red Barn. We celebrated many fine art awards alongside Colleen Regan, winner of this year’s cover art contest for her captivating piece, Walking Up to the Waterford Schoolhouse, which inspired our booklet cover and Fair branding. We were also thrilled to announce metalsmith Ian Hart as the 2025 Demonstrating Artisan of the Year!
A special thank you to Dennis Ray, owner and maker at Nature’s Creations and a designated Waterford Landmark Artisan, for donating the convertible Waterford Oak Leaf pin & necklace for our raffle. Congratulations to our lucky winner, Chris Doxey!
To top it all off, the sounds of the Fair were as lively as ever. Strolling historical interpreters and village performers brought smiles to fairgoers around every corner. On the Old School lawn, our new partners at River & Roots Production managed the main stage for the first time, keeping acoustic and traditional music flowing all weekend long. Hardly a haybale was left vacant as guests gathered on the lawn to relax, enjoy the performances, and soak in the festive atmosphere.
Many of our exhibiting artisans were thrilled with their sales and deeply grateful for the opportunity to share their passion with such an enthusiastic audience! As the Fair wrapped up, participants and visitors alike left with full hearts, wonderful memories, and a shared appreciation for our village traditions. The Waterford Fair continues to celebrate the very best of craftsmanship, creativity, and heritage, bringing neighbors and visitors together year after year to honor our shared traditions.
An event of this scale takes a true community effort. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the local civic groups, businesses, sponsors, and our hundreds of dedicated volunteers whose hard work supported our efforts and helped us with our fundraising goals! We hope you experienced a touch of “Fair magic” this year and created joyful memories to carry with you until we gather again.
We can’t wait to celebrate ALL of our volunteers at the Annual Volunteer Party on November 143th! If you have not seen an invitation in your inbox please contact the office at [email protected] and we will make sure you get it.
Pencil the dates in your calendar now for the 83rd Fair, which will take place October 1–3, 2027 (always the first full weekend of the month). We can’t wait to see you back in Waterford!
