MOUNT VERNON — The Homemades & Trades Show is a traditional part of the Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival. What was originally the Dixie Days Sidewalk Sale merged with the festival in 1998, and was renamed the Homemades & Trades Show in 2000. It has been a major part of the festival ever since.

The show runs all four days of the festival. Home crafters, merchants and businesses use the show to display their wares and promote their businesses. Shoppers will find everything from antiques to collectibles for sale. The display booths are located in the parking spaces along South Main Street. Booths are open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Some merchants were still setting up Thursday morning, but there were still more than a few ready for the onslaught of buyers.

Patricia Fields, Zanesville, was set up for her first Dan Emmett Music & Arts Festival.

“I’ve been doing this about four or five years, off and on,” she explained. “This is the first time here for this one. I am actually branching out to get some of the bigger craft shows.”

Fields offers a variety of pieces she sews herself.

“I recently went into making the Cornhole bags,” she said. “They are regulation size and made the way they need to be. I do blankets, aprons, towels and pillows. I have lots of pillows. I do jewelry and jewelry boxes, but I’m kind of getting out of that.”

Although the show features a number of festival veterans, others are taking advantage of the opportunity to cope with the economy. Jenny’s Shades is one of those merchants

“We just like shades and got laid off, so we thought we’d bring to the public this summer and see who else likes them,” said owner Jennifer Jacobs. “This is our first time at this festival. This year we also hit Centerburg.

“We’ve done pretty well so far. We just want to keep it local. And we like the festival.”