The fair, which began Friday, continues Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with more than 70 vendors, a full lineup of live entertainment and a wide variety of hands-on children’s activities hosted in conjunction with the Centre County Library.

“We have a wonderful variety of vendors,” said Romayne Naylor of Historic Bellefonte, Inc. (HBI), the not-for-profit, charitable organization that organizes the craft fair. “We have everything from paintings and photographs to ceramics, jewelry, glass, metal, wood and leather — it’s all here.”

The majority of the more than 70 vendors are Pennsylvania-based artists, many of whom live in Centre County or the surrounding counties.

“As soon as people see them, they’re going to fall in love with their stuff,” Naylor added.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS 2025 brought a record number of youth artists to the Bellefonte Arts & Crafts Fair. Pictured here is Leah Kovalev at her booth, selling handmade crochet amigurumi-style stuffed animals on Friday.

Among those vendors is ceramicist Bonny Slopey Mardis and her partner, Dan Yarnell, of McElhattan. The pair have been returning to the fair for decades, offering Bonny’s handmade, wheel-thrown and hand-sculpted high-fire stoneware.

“Everything is functional,” Mardis said, describing her work.

Taught by her uncle, Fred Slopey, Mardis’ wares include coffee mugs, glasses, pots and yarn bowls. Her pieces have a whimsical, playful quality, often blending natural or humorous elements — like a yarn bowl where the yarn feeds through a sculpted nose, or leaf bowls made using foliage gathered from her own backyard.

“We do a lot of arts and craft shows,” Mardis said. “We’ve been doing Bellefonte for 30-some-plus years.”

Thanks to the fair’s proximity to their Clinton County home, Mardis and Yarnell have built a loyal following over the years.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS In conjunction with the Centre County Library, the Arts & Crafts Fair hosted activities for its younger attendees.

“This is usually a good show for us because we do know some people in the area,” she said. “We’ve been coming back so long that people return to add to their collection.”

Veteran vendors like Mardis and Yarnell were joined this year by a wave of new talent, including the largest group of youth artists the fair has seen.

“We have 14 of them this year,” said Naylor. “That might be a record.”

Among them was teenager Leah Kovalev, who made her debut at the fair with a colorful collection of loomigarumi and crocheted amigurumi-style stuffed animals.

“I like coming here to see the kids’ smiles,” Kovalev said, explaining what motivates her to create and sell her work.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS Pictured are canopies with vendors along S. Allegheny St. in Downtown Bellefonte on Friday.

Naylor said the opportunity for young people to sell at the fair is about more than art.

“It’s a way to encourage the incoming artists — the future entrepreneurs — to be successful,” she said. “Success at an early age carries on.”

Beyond supporting local artists and vendors, the fair also plays a broader role in giving back to the community.

“The proceeds of our event today go right back into the community to meet unmet needs within the borough,” said Naylor.

Revenue from the fair — along with other Historic Bellefonte, Inc. projects — has helped fund water-filled barriers used for public events, as well as donations to local emergency services and veterans programs.

HUNTER SMITH/THE EXPRESS The fair’s food vendors can be found along N. High St., downtown, near the Centre County Library.

The Bellefonte Arts & Crafts Fair wouldn’t be possible without the support of the organizations and individuals who help bring it to life each year — including the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau and Centre County Government.

“All of us working together makes it happen,” Naylor said.

And organizers hope that spirit of celebration and community connection will continue to draw visitors from across the region.

“I think everyone in Clinton County should attend,” said Renee Brown, an HBI board member and Lock Haven graduate. “They don’t know what they’re missing.”

To view the schedule of events, including entertainment and children’s activities, and both youth and adult artists visit bellefontefair.org.