Rain didn't keep crowds away from Norman's 32nd annual May Fair, continuing today
By Melissa A. Wabnitz
Transcript Staff Writer
The secret to unleashing one of Bill Johnson's hand-made, old-fashioned wooden tops isn't necessarily in the flick of your wrist, although that helps, it's the way you wind the string.
Forged of Maple, mahogany and other hardwoods, the curiosities lined a shelf inside Johnson's May Fair tent Saturday, catching the eye of curious children and 25-year-old reporters alike.
"You've got to wind it around just so," said Johnson, demonstrating and handing the relic over. "And you throw like this, upside down. A lot of people don't realize that."
For Johnson, a Norman native, taking the time to demonstrate his wares to passers-by is only part of what makes the 32nd annual May Fair event, organized by Assistance League of Norman, special.
Glenna Ott, Kris Booze and Lisa Gipson of ALN say the interactive approach vendors and artists have taken this year reflects, in many ways, an organizational goal to "make art, in all its forms, accessible to everyone."
Free and reduced-cost "Adventures in Art" for children Saturday included stage makeup demonstrations by Sooner Theater, watercolors by Bill Williams, lampmaking demonstrations and oil pastel "scratch" pictures and bead making.
"All of the artists here have been very, very excited to share their craft," Gipson said. "We even had to had a number of demonstrations because we had so many volunteers. It was absolutely wonderful to see that desire to teach."
At it's heart, May Fair is a "gift from Assistance League to the Norman community," Ott said. "All of the women that work on May Fair are volunteers. It's totally staffed by volunteers from our organization. Some of the women have worked on May Fair for 32 years. And many people work on this event all year long."
Though a steady drizzle of rain may have kept some folks from heading out to Andrew's Park, Areebah Anwar and Fajer Majeed, Norman Public Schools students, said they found the sights, sounds and experiences of May Fair exciting nonetheless.
"It reminds of New York, downtown," Anwar said. "Everything's set up and you can look at all the paintings and drawings. It's pretty fun."
The May Fair continues today from noon to six p.m. Admission is, and always has been free, Ott said.
