Highland County Maple Festival — Again!
Sondra Johnson, Founder of Nature’s Common Scents, at the 2022 Highland County Maple Festival.
March is nearly here, and for those of us who garden, it is the beginning of a very busy, but delightful, season. Here in Virginia, it is time to plan what we’ll grow and start seeds (indoors). I’ve been around now a very long time, yet I still take great joy in seeing the first bulbs break ground, the tiny seedlings pushing through the peat pots in the greenhouse, or hearing the sound of the peeper frogs at the pond.
Nature’s Common Scents booth, March 2022. Sondra setting up.
March also is the time of something that has been a constant my life for nearly the past twenty years: the Highland County Maple Festival in Monterey, Virginia. I was doing my first ever craft show way back in 2002, when a friend mentioned it to me in an off-hand comment. “You should set up your booth there,” he said. “They really get a good crowd.” I was new to festivals and craft shows. A complete novice! But nothing is too daunting for my intrepid husband. So without having a clue of what was about to happen or the work that would be involved, we loaded our little green van with products, shelves, tables, signs, clothes (for the overnight stay) and anything else we thought we might need. It was quite a wonderful experience, and one I would repeat year after year, until COVID closed the show for two years around the time I was deciding to retire.
But with the help of the younger Johnsons, when the Maple Festival was up and running again, so was Nature’s Common Scents! This year’s Maple Festival takes place March 12, 13, 18 and 19. For those who attend, it is like a mini-vacation. There is so much to do in and around the county, and so many talented, diverse crafters fill the two school gyms, the streets and other buildings nearby. This unique festival has been held since 1958! In 1999, the Library of Congress designated The Highland County Maple Festival and “Local Legacy.” And in 2014, the then-governor of Virginia signed a bill into law designating it the “official maple festival of Virginia.”
These next few weeks, until after the show is over, will be extremely busy for us. Preparing enough products for the show takes a lot of time (remember we do everything in small batches by hand, and we don’t outsource anything). Also we may run out of products, especially right after the first weekend of the Maple Festival. In that case, if we don’t have something you order, we will make it as quickly as possible.
Despite the work and admittedly some aggravation getting ready, the Highland County Maple Festival is really special to me. It is near and dear to my heart, as I have met folks there who have not only become customers, but have become lifelong friends! So many of you have inspired me with your confidence in my products, and amazed me with some of the creative ways you have learned to use them! It is because of my loyal customers that my desire to create products made from plants became a reality. Your confidence in my products is humbling. You are the reason, each and every spring, I once again start digging in the dirt, preparing places to plant those healing herbs that we turn into products or ingredients for products.
I hope you’ll come watch some of the manufacturing process, or just stop by for a cup of your favorite herbal tea!
Sondra.
