The Second Annual Stoneware Fest and Swap Meet will be held Saturday, June 24th at the Stoneware Museum of Monmouth, 507 South Sunny Lane, from 8 am to 1 pm. Over 30 vendors from five states will be in attendance, along with free appraisals and demonstrations shares LaDonna Green:
“There will be demonstrations on pottery making, packaging, and mailing. Then we have Jeff Adams there with his brick display. Chris Jonus is going to be there with his Macomb Potteries book. We also have a food vendor, Phat Belly’s BBQ. The museum tours, as always, are free. Linda Sickmon will be making pottery and then Janis Wunderlich from Monmouth College will be using a Western Stoneware pottery wheel, a kick wheel, to make pottery.”
Following the conclusion of the stoneware fest and swap meet, a commemorative baseball game will be played at 2 pm at the Maple City Field of Dreams between the Western Stoneware Company and Monmouth Potters, represented by the Monmouth-Roseville and United High School baseball teams. Curator of the Stoneware Museum Carol Parrish shares the history behind the teams:
“In my research I found out that different companies and organizations within towns would organize ball teams. So Turnbull’s had the Turnbull Undertakers and the Review Atlas had the Atlas team and then they would play a circuit and tournaments. That lead into another avenue of learning about the pottery. It wasn’t just between potteries; it was between businesses.”
Admission to both events on June 24th is free and open to the public.
Upcoming Events – Stoneware Museum of Monmouth, IL (monmouthstonewaremuseum.com)
