More than just a craft show, Strange Folk Festival is an event that entertains, educates, nurtures, and strengthens the community.

The Southern IL Artisan Guild will be hosting a variety of craft demos including weaving, spinning, wood carving and more. Kids will squeal

Grown-ups will find plenty to entertain and delight them, too. Rub elbows with local authors at the O’Fallon Library’s Writer’s Block Author exhibit. Scratch your DIY itch at the Perennial booth and get free re-design advice for those extras that are lying about that you just can’t bear to part with. The Contemporary Art Museum will be unveiling their innovative mobile art studio featuring hands-on art experiences and virtual museum tours. For the animal lovers, Tenth Life Cats and the Southern Illinois Animal Rescue will be on-site with adorable adoptable pets to steal your heart. If the

outdoors is more your speed, chat up the fine folks at the Cave Archeology Investigation & Research Network and find out what’s happening in Missouri caves.

Don’t forget that The Upcycle Exchange will be collecting supplies again this year in the horseshoe pit! You’ll get a coupon passport, and a map of all Strange Folk vendors who offer discounts to anyone that drops off materials on the Wish-list.

Last, but not least, you’ll see trees adorned with hand-knitted “graffiti” from over 40 area knitters and crocheters. They have been working for months on their creations in preparation to YARN BOMB the park at Strange Folk!

We are crowd-sourcing our decorations this year! The following are some front and center specimens, and their measurements.

Knit/crochet sumin’ pretteh! It should be a rectangle or some other shape that we can wrap around the tree and secure with zip ties(we provide those). You could also go to the park and scope something else you’d like to bomb – you seriously are welcome to graffiti ANYTHING with yarn! Acrylic yarn works best for outdoor conditions, and if you would like a free skien(or two) to use for your graffiti, stop into The Upcycle Exchange, and tell them you’re a Knitting Gnome!

PROTIP: You only need to knit enough length that can stretch to fit the circumference. You can also hook up with friends and join lengths to cover a lot of ground. Extra points for geeky intarsia!

As a Knitting Gnome, you’ll be invited to be part of our Ninja Yarn Bomb Squad on the Friday night before the fest (September 23rd), where we will install everything. Be sure to “tag” what you have made with a business card, or other identifying/promotional info for spectators to see.

Knitting from a distance? Can’t make the Friday night install? No problem! You can drop-off your creation to the Parks Office at theKaty Cavins Center in O’Fallon, or The Upcycle Exchange in St. Louis. Please include a note with the intended graffiti target for your piece. You can also mail them to:

The Upcycle Exchange
3309 Meramec
St. Louis, MO 63118

If you want your piece back after the fest, we’ll make sure that happens. But we would love to keep as many as possible, and reuse them to expand the exhibit every year!

09/01/11 Update – Registration and Free Tote offer has ended, but you can still join us at 6pm on Friday, September 23rd and yarn bomb anything in the park!