(Virginia Beach, VA) - Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation’s Annual Art & Craft Festival, Artisans in the Park, celebrated its 33rd year on August 2-3, 2008 at a new venue, Great Neck Park, which proved to be an ideal location to showcase 86 artisans from seven different states, who displayed and sold works of art and fine craft. The beautiful 70-acre park located along the banks of Lynnhaven Bay with a landscape of mature trees shading the many winding pathways offered enjoyable conditions for the estimated 15,000 festival attendees.

Cash prize winning artists include:
$400 Best in Show:   Irmaly Brackin, Boone, NC
$300 Art Award:   Norma Martin, Danville, VA
$300 Craft Award:   P.J. Espinal, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Originality Award $100:  Cindy Williams, Palm Coast, FL

$50 Festival Awards:
• Audra & Dwight Bullock, Norfolk, VA
• Guerino Davi, Wake Forest, NC
• Ken Gault, Newport News,VA
• Mary Kay Holladay, Virginia Beach, VA
• George Mahana, Hollywood, FL
• Merlys McGraw, Roswell, GA
• Carol Sher, Montgomery Village, MD
• Sam Smith, Virginia Beach, VA

Artisans in the Park, Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation’s 33rd Annual Art & Craft Festival (formerly known as the Princess Anne Park Art & Craft Festival), was brought to you by Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation and Coca-Cola in conjunction with Bank@LANTEC, ValPak, Quality Inn Pavilion Virginia Beach, WVEC-TV Channel 13 and radio station 93.7 BOB-FM. For more information, please call (757) 427-2990, e-mail fun@VBgov.com, or visit www.VBgov.com/parks.

Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation’s vision is a balanced, sustainable and value-focused system of parks, recreation and public spaces that creates a sense of community. For more information, call (757) 385-1100 (TTY: 757-711 Virginia Relay), or visit http://www.VBgov.com/parks

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