By John Chambless
Staff Writer

Kennett Square is the place to be this weekend, when the Weekend of the Arts brings together enough events and attractions to keep you busy for three whole days.

On Friday, June 7, the expanded First Friday Flea Market brings vendors to the East 100 and 200 blocks of State Street from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The usual First Friday Art Stroll includes all of the downtown shops and galleries, and Square Pear Gallery (200 State St.) will be opening a new exhibition with a live pottery demonstration by Bob Deane outside the gallery.

Just a few doors down, photographer Rusty Nelson will be previewing his new studio/exhibition space that’s under construction at 210 E. State St., and there will be live music by members of the Kennett Symphony on the State Street sidewalk. Other artist studios on the block – Robert Jackson, Peter Willard and April Heather – will also be open, with a chance to meet the artists and see their work.

At the Genesis HealthCare Building (101 E. State St.), there will be a preview reception for the 2019 Weekend of the Arts Show and Sale on Friday, June 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. with music, drinks and light fare. The show includes works by 50 artists who are a part of the Genesis corporate art collection. The show continues Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entrance to Genesis is off the walkway that runs from the E. Linden Street municipal parking garage to State Street. Artists will be donating a portion of their sales from the weekend to Historic Kennett Square.

On Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m., there will be a weaving demonstration at Clean Slate Goods (108 N. Union St.).

On Saturday, June 8, the Weekend of The Arts continues from noon to 6 p.m., with a “Save the Bees” event at Kennett Brewing Company (109 S. Broad St.) from 2 to 6 p.m. It’s a fundraiser for the Chester County Bee Keepers Association where 20 percent of the artist sales and Brewing Company tips go to the Save the Bees Fund, which helps to plant more native pollinator plants in Chester County. The event will feature: Honey beer and mead on tap (made with Brandywine Bee Company’s honey); art inspired by bees made by local artists, information about plants that help the bees, bee trivia with prizes, information from the Land Conservancy of Southern Chester County, an observation hive from the Brandywine Bee Company, and information about the Chester County Bee Keepers Association.

Just north of Kennett Square, the “Abstractions” group show will fill the barn at Scarlett Thicket Farm (284 W. Street Rd.) with contemporary sculpture, paintings and mixed-media art by Dennis Beach, Katee Boyle, Antelo Devereux Jr., Lele Galer, Sutton Hays, Carol Lesher, Frances Roosevelt, Stan Smokler, Vicki Vinton and Peter Willard. The show runs on Saturday from 2 to 7 p.m. Admission is free, and all the artists will be on hand in the barn as the resident barn swallows swoop in and out. Food and drinks are available.

The weekend continues on Sunday, June 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the major addition of the annual Clover Market, held in the 600 block of South Broad Street. There will be dozens of vendors offering antiques, vintage items and handmade goods in the large Genesis Healthcare parking lot. There will be live music by Couple Days, food trucks offering lunches, ice cream and sweet treats, along with beers from Victory Beer, and wines from Harvest Ridge Winery. The food vendors will be Pompier Catering, Nick’s Roast Beef, Phyllodelphia, Street Food, The Cow and the Curd, Flour + Oats Artisan Cookies, Gotta Lotta Gelata, and the Philadelphia Lemonade Company.

Children can create crafts to take home, and everyone can meet and pet the adoptable animals from Finding Shelter Animal rescue. The event is free, and parking is available across the street at Kennett High School There will also be a free shuttle looping from the Clover Market to downtown. Park at the Linden garage, pickup at the 100 block of Broad Street). More information can be found at www.theclovermarket.com.

Downtown at the Square Pear Gallery, there will be a jewelry making class by Diana Eldreth from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information about downtown events, visit www.historickennettsquare.com.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].