by Frank Lee
operations@thenewsleaders.com
Judy Filzen of St. Joseph designs one-of-a-kind jewelry, handmade for her customers, but she was not alone June 5 at the Artisan Showcase & Antique Tractor Show at Riverwood Mall.
The five-hour showcase and show next to Slumberland featured several artisans displaying and selling their artwork and handmade crafts and goods outside, under the shade of the nearby trees.
“I’m a jeweler by trade,” said Filzen, who learned her trade at Minneapolis Community College.
Women of all ages lined up to browse the selection of necklaces and other fashion accessories she had for sale at the showcase, part of the 52nd annual Waite Park Family Fun Fest.
“God gives it to me, it just comes,” Filzen said of the inspiration for her jewelry. “I just kind of go by my own instincts and colors that appeal to me and use my own intuition, I guess.”
Filzen said she paid $35 to participate in the Artisan Showcase, which was her first time participating in the Waite Park-based venue that also included about a dozen other vendors.
“Jewels by Jude” wasn’t the only business representing St. Joseph. Members of the Church of St. Joseph were on hand in the woods near Anton’s Restaurant to sell their textile and fabric art creations as well.
Also on display were antique tractors and lawn tractors from the Greater Minnesota Two-Cylinder Club and classic cars by the Studebaker Drivers Club.
“It’s a nice venue,” said Filzen, who switched from interior design to furniture design to jewelry design. “I just would have appreciated less wind . . . and maybe would have liked more traffic.”
The Waite Park Family Fun Fest concludes with a free Kids Fishing Contest at Rock Island Park Pond next to Bernick’s Pepsi from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, June 12, for children ages 2 to 12.
For more information about the Waite Park Family Fun Fest, visit www.ci.waitepark.mn.us.
Judy Filzen of St. Joseph tells visitors about her one-of-a-kind jewelry June 5 at the Artisan Showcase & Antique Tractor Show in Waite Park during the 52nd annual Waite Park Family Fun Fest.
Antique tractors and lawn tractors from the Greater Minnesota Two-Cylinder Club sit in the shade for visitors to view at the Artisan Showcase & Antique Tractor Show June 5 at Riverwood Mall, part of the 52nd annual Waite Park Family Fun Fest.
Delrose Fischer of St. Joseph, who is the chairwoman of the St. Joseph Parish Quilt Group, and her friend Tim Wilkes, wait for customers to stop by their table at the Artisan Showcase & Antique Tractor Show on June 5, part of the 52nd annual Waite Park Family Fun Fest.
