Each fall, as the days grow shorter and the leaves threaten to turn from green to multiple shades of orange, yellow, brown and red, it’s a signal to art lovers that the Edom Festival of the Arts can’t be far away.
Artisans and artists gather to share their creations to thousands of visitors who make the pilgrimage to this tiny community located just west of Tyler, just a couple hours drive from Dallas.
One can imagine what the village looked like in the mid 1850s when it was established, with the dusty roads, churches and saloons that made life what it was for the loggers and farmers of that period.
Today, for much of the year, Edom is an attractive community where a small number of artists continue to hold down the fort, along with a number of quality eateries.
Once a year that all changes as the festival begins. Vehicles of all ages and sizes line the roads in every direction and some folks walk up to a half mile or more to take part.
It attracts the artistically inclined from several states and if you look carefully you’ll find foreigners like Kim Walker, a transplanted Upstate New Yorker, showing off their arts and crafts.
It is a pet-friendly event with a number of dogs as part of the crowd and they often, as was the case during our recent visit, steal the show from the musicians on the stage.
As we approached the crowd seated on bales of hay, we found two-year-old Trace Goodrich of Emory making friends with a dog three or four times his weight.
One could hear the harps as he or she toured Fred Hight’s photographic display or ate a corny dog complete with mustard.
Much of the year the area produces blueberries, dairy products and a variety of garden items and just west of Edom travelers will find a very large number of longhorn cattle, located on a number of ranches between Edom and Ben Wheeler.
Take your time and enjoy the day.
For driving directions or more information about the art festival simply go to the Edom Festival of Arts website and you’ll be hooked.