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Correction! You would think that I could spell "Rainier", by now... Please visit our website at www.rainierarts.com for details ...sorry for the second email! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT: Andrea Brannon - Arts Festival Festival Coordinator 30027 SR 706 E P.O. Box 97 Ashford, WA 98304 andrea@rainierfestivals.com www.rainierarts.com 360-569-2383 ASHFORD VALLEY (at Mt. Rainier), Washington - September 18, 2009. 3rd Annual Rainier Arts Festival Oct. 2, 3 & 4 in Ashford. Always the first weekend in October...Enjoy fine art and get creative this fall! www.RainierArts.com. ASHFORD, WA. The Ashford Valley will again celebrate "Art Inspired by The Mountain" with its third annual Rainier Arts Festival, October 2, 3 and 4, in the foothills of Mt. Rainier. Plenty to see & do for all ages. Over 35 artists, painting & photography workshops, raffles, live music, and a live art auction. Not to be missed is the free Clay Classroom, where all ages can experience the pottery wheel. The festival will be held a few miles from the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park, at Whittaker Mountaineering's Rainier Basecamp. Admission is free. Great food on-site at the Basecamp Bar & Grill. Family and pet friendly. Please find complete information at www.RainierArts.com . A diverse and talented group of artists have been selected for this year's line up including painters Fred Oldfield, James Gleason, Candius Barney, Dora Hale, Paul Langston, Chris Gunter and many more. Several local pottery studios will also be showcased. Talented photographers include Adam Angel, Robert Lohr and Ken Slusher with his original silver prints of the historic ice caves at Mt. Rainier. Also, noted quilters such as Robin Stadden & Chholing Taha will offer their work for sale. Additional art mediums represented at the show will include, glass, wood carving, jewelry, and fiber arts featuring felting demonstrations from Tom & Jill Touse. Workshops returning this year include Bill Carnahan's daily painting workshops. Students will learn to paint a selected theme, (Bill's method of teaching is based on popular PBS painter Bob Ross's techniques) and take home their completed painting the same day. This fun & low cost activity is great for teens & adults, with no experience necessary. Also back again, this year, is the Clay Classroom. Free to all and, family friendly for all ages, professional potters give visitors a chance to "play with the clay" in this hands on clay studio. The studio will be open all three days and visitors are encouraged to experience the pottery wheel and clay slab roller. In addition to the fine artists, an exciting line up of musical talent will offer free live entertainment. Performances, presented by Oxford Entertainment, are scheduled daily from mid-morning through early evening. Not to be missed is the exciting, fast-paced, live art auction, featuring Steve Mitzner, professional auctioneer, held on Saturday, October 3rd at 4pm. While viewing and shopping for high quality art, and purchasing raffle tickets to win great prizes, attendees will be supporting a good cause; the Eatonville chapter of <http://www.wadollarsforscholars.org/default.htm> Dollars For Scholars, whose mission is to provide scholarships for college-bound seniors at Eatonville High School. Also present will be the Columbia Crest Elementary School's PTO, with their booth, to raise money to support student activities. Free to the public, the Rainier Arts Festival will run from 10AM through 6PM, each day, at the Whittaker Mountaineering Rainier Basecamp, in the center of the town of Ashford, 30027 State Route 706 East, 98304. Call 360-569-2383 for festival information or visit the website at www.RainierArts.com. A gorgeous fall color and outdoor activity destination place, Ashford and Elbe offer great places to sleep, shop and eat in the heart of the wild Nisqually River Valley. Vacation rental cabins, hide-a-ways and family-friendly lodging all can be found near the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. Mount Rainier's 14,410-foot summit and endless hiking trails provide a spectacular compliment to all the creative energy at the art festival. Convenient to the Puget Sound and Portland, the region offers accessible, affordable excitement with year round activities. For destination and local area information on Ashford and Washington's most popular attraction- 'The Mountain", please visit websites www.mt-rainier.com, www.visitrainier.com and www.whittakermountaineering.com. # # # Andrea Brannon Festivals Coordinator Mount Rainier Festivals & Event Center P.O.Box 97, Ashford, WA 98304 360-569-2383 <http://www.RainierFestivals.com> www.RainierFestivals.com