SUMMERSVILLE, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – The first-ever Mountain Made Markers’ Market is coming to Summerville and will be held on the grounds of the Summerville Lake Lighthouse on Friday, June 4, and Saturday, June 5, 2021.
The event is being hosted by G2 Handwerker Designs, a local woodworking company that has produced furniture seen on HGTV’s Property Brothers: Forever Home. G2 Handwerker Designs is owned by Doug Gerwig and Bobby Gunnoe.
Gerwig’s wife, Mandi Gerwig, is acting as the event’s coordinator and says they are excited to highlight some local artists and craftsmen located in Summersville and the surrounding areas.
Not only does Gerwig hope to showcase the wares of local artists, but she also hopes the event will introduce the lighthouse’s new owners, Dave and Daphne Ridgeway, to the area and small-town living. The Ridgeway’s took over operating the lighthouse after former owners, Steve and Donna Keblesh, announced that they were selling the property in February.
According to Gerwig, her husband helped construct the 104-foot-tall lighthouse in 2012, and the Makers’ Market is his work coming full circle.
The market will feature more than 50 vendors, ranging from potters to woodworkers, sculptures to jewelry makers and more. Representatives from local hardware stores will be at the event, advising shoppers on tools and equipment, as well as several Veteran companies, American Red Cross and the Nicholas County Animal Shelter.
During the event, shoppers will also have the opportunity to wander the lighthouse grounds and even take a tour of the lighthouse, which is 77,000 pounds and sits 2,164 feet above sea level. Visitors can climb the lighthouse’s 122 steps to reach a 360-degree gallery deck that offers views of the Summersville Lake and the Gauley National Recreation Area.
Lighthouse tour tokens can be purchased in the gift shop for $7 for adults and children 12 years and older and $5 for children ages three to 11 years old and seniors 65 years and older.
The Makers’ Market event, which is free of admission, will take place from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
“There have been festivals at the lighthouse before, but this is the first of its kind,” Gerwig said. “There will be a lot of lost arts and things that are being taken away from. We want to bring in the homemade and the handmade and highlight the craftmanship that is available right under our fingertips.”
For more information on the Mountain Made Makers’ Market, visit the event’s Facebook page here or the G2 Handwerker Designs website here.