SAXONBURG — Clear skies meant all the attention was on the variety of arts and crafts on display at the 28th annual Festival of the Arts on Saturday and Sunday.

Rain badly dampened the spirits and vendors at the previous two festivals.

“It's 110 times better than last year,” said Maria McCullough, the co-chairman of the festival. “The weather is beautiful.”

McCullough said the weather not only makes for better viewing, but is important to the continued success of the festival as the money earned each year pays for the future events.

“The whole thing is funded from the festival,” McCullough said.

This year's event had numerous spectacles, including live bands, performing artists, a Civil War re-enactment, a 5K community walk, and a car show.

But the real attention across the two-day event was on the nearly 100 craft vendors.

Mark Grossi of Butler was one of the artists on display. He spent the day painting landscapes out of his booth to the amazement of those in attendance.

Grossi said he is a regular at the festival.

“I've been doing this for awhile,” Grossi said. “The people here are always very nice and it's always fun.”

Grossi said he has been painting for more than 25 years.

“I started at the young age of 14,” he said, reminiscing about watching artists like Bob Ross on PBS.

“I wanted to do what they did,” he said. “My sister had an old oil painting kit at the time, and that's pretty much how I got started.”

While Grossi's work looks as though it would be meticulously planned out, the process is really quite the opposite.

“Nothing is ever really planned,” Grossi said. “I just start painting and let it flow.”

Another vendor had a much more systematic approach to his craft.

Michael and Claudia Trusik of Freeport displayed the family's woodworking business.

Michael Trusik has a shop set up at his home along Freeport Road.

On display at the festival were various pieces of custom made furniture and wooden models.

“He's been doing this since he was 18 years old,” Claudia Trusik said of her husband.

Perhaps nothing stood out as much as the model trains on display at the front of the tent.

Trusik said her husband spends hours making each piece, with each requiring nearly 60 hours to complete.

“Each one has hundreds of pieces,” Michael Trusik said.

Each one of the pieces is handcrafted by Trusik.

One of the unique aspects of Trusik's work is that he often uses American Chestnut. The lumber is rare as the tree was devastated by blight.

Trusik has access to the wood because of another hobby the couple has.

“We restore homes,” his wife said. “Some of the properties had barns that we tore down, and they were made of the chestnut wood.”

Claudia said her husband has been able to put a lot more time into his craft now that their children are grown up and in the Navy. It's a hobby he is truly passionate about.

“He loves working with wood,” she said. “And he can customize anything.”

Another crafter who customizes her work is Hannah Limbaugh of Cabot.

Limbaugh crochets pop-culture hats, scarves, and blankets.

“I make nerdy stuff,” she joked, referencing some video game inspired pieces. “I get a lot of ideas from friends and the Internet.”

Limbaugh said she has been crocheting for about nine years now.

“My mom taught me to crochet in high school and I took it from there,” she said. “She tells me she doesn't know where I get it from, because she just does basic patterns.”

Limbaugh said she has been visiting the Saxonburg Festival of the Arts her whole life, and has been a vendor for the past three years.

She said she thinks the festival is a big part of the community.

“I think it's incredibly important,” she said. “It's a great way for people to see the art that people in their community can produce.”

And producing art is what Limbaugh has spent the past month doing. She said she has made at least two hats per day, with each taking anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours to make, in preparation for the festival.

While she's proud of her work, it did come with a cost.

“I actually have Carpal Tunnel in my hands now,” she joked.

Even with a little soreness, Limbaugh said the festival greatly benefited from the nice weather.

“Last year I spent all weekend standing in a couple inches of water, so it's much better,” she said.