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Our Story

Craft & Draft was created in 2015 by three dedicated and eager ladies - Lauri Murphy, Laura Kinzie, and Kayla Dalton. We wanted to bring a street-style festival to Radford VA that featured amazing indie & modern artists, crafters, and makers while also celebrating local food trucks, delicious craft beer, and local budding and well known musicians and bands. We began our event with only 12 vendors and worked under our local Chamber of Commerce as a pilot program. In 2018, Lauri Murphy became executive director of MountainTrotter Arts, a local 501c3 organization, and brought Craft & Draft and a few other programs with her.

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Craft & Draft is now ran by a volunteer committee under MTA but it's goal remains the same - to showcase a variety of modern and indie handcrafted artisans, crafters, and makers and to educate and encourage our community to shop small, local, and handmade all in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere right here in Radford, VA.

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This event is funded by MountainTrotter Arts and the generosity of local business sponsors and community donations. We couldn't do this event without YOU, our community! Thank you for your continued support over the years!

Who we are

MountainTrotter Arts is a non-profit organization based in Radford, VA. With volunteer members, MTA is dedicated to showcasing and advocating for local artists, musicians, and creators. By creating free local events, MTA not only supports the local arts, but encourages the community to learn from the arts, enjoy what the arts has to offer, and shop local & small. Our events are proud to be inclusive and open to all.

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MTA organizes a variety of events; our events focus on enriching the community with the local arts. Find our more about MountainTrottersArts and it's events HERE!

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Craft and Draft is one of the many events and activities organized by MTA; it is ran by a revolving volunteer committee:

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Lauri Murphy, event lead

Laura Kinzie, graphic design & secondary lead

Lucinda McDermott Piro, performing arts outreach

Michelle Beale, community outreach

Scott Gardner, Radford Heritage Foundation liason

Deb Cooney, Visit Radford

Emily Edwards

Randy Kirchner

Dan Leary

2019 C&D Committee

How Covid-19 affected us

Covid 19 has reeked havoc on pretty much everything this year, hasn't it!? MountainTrotter Arts decided to move our event virtual for 2020, for the safety and well being for all.

Artists and handcrafted vendors rely on events like Craft & Draft. We work day in and day out, doing what we love, creating quality and original handcrafted pieces, and pour our hearts and soul into everything we do. Like so many people right now, many artists and musicians are out of work and struggling. Being an artist or performer is a full time job: it helps us pay for groceries, helps pay for our kid's piano lessons, helps us pays our bills. Even more than that, we miss the interactions, the customers, the look on someone's face when they find the perfect "thing"! We're sad that we can't be face to face this year, but excited at the promise and possibility of moving forward!
 
We're stoked to be able to bring this event back in person in 2021! Thank you to MountainTrotter Arts & the C&D Committee who are making it happen!

 

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