BUFFALO, N.Y. — With no more Canadian wildfire smoke in the air anymore, it was a perfect Saturday for the Allentown Art Festival on Delaware Avenue.
"I have asthma so I always, when the air quality is not so good, I try to stay inside," Amy Najeski of Buffalo said. "Getting out and actually getting fresh air is a lot better than just sitting at home."
"It's awesome because enough is enough," added Judi Wnuk of Buffalo.
This marks 66 years of the festival in Buffalo and featuring works by more than 300 artists, including Jane Waxenfelter. She's been bringing everything from her JPW Pottery in Grove City, Pa., here to Buffalo for the last six years.
"Well, it's only three hours for us, so it's not that far for us, and it's just always been a really good festival. The people are great, friendly. Nice large crowd," Waxenfelter said.
That's despite taking a long break from art since she graduated college in order to raise a family.
"At age 50, I got back into pottery. It's actually my son who got back into it because he took pottery in high school and ceramics and loved it. I said, 'Tim, let's get us a wheel and kiln.' He went away to the Air Force and I just kept working with it," she said.
Waxenfelter says her pieces typically take about three weeks to create.
In addition to her pottery, the festival had everything from clothing to jewelry, garden decor, and even art after some pop culture favorites.
"I got Linda from Bob's Burgers as the Mona Lisa. She's going in my living room. Just a bunch of different stuff and that's why we like to come here. There's always different stuff in the same place," Najeski said.
If you weren't able to make it to the festival on Saturday, it will be back on Delaware from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The Allen West Festival is also going on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.