Event Dates: July 20, 2012 - July 21, 2012

Taste some "Best in the West Beer Battered Onion Rings" while you peruse local, hand made crafts and other goodies in the quaint town of Graeagle. Started in 1974, the Graeagle Arts and Crafts Fair includes 180 booths featuring quality, handmade crafts and fine art by the exhibitors. Nothing is imported.

This is a great fair with a "homey" feel to it.  Walking around you will find high quality handmade crafts and jewelry (I bought a necklace there that keeps getting great comments), a man showing a demo with his amazing BBQ tool, and a woman with "pies" which are really potpourri holders (made out of fired clay?) that look exactly like a peach or cherry pie - you pick your flavor!

There are tons of things to eat - from kettle corn to lemonade to hot dogs - while you browse the fair, and lots of nice people happy to have a conversation about whatever you fancy.  And if that's not enough, there's live bluegrass music too.

Located only one hour west from Reno, Nevada, and two and a half hours northeast of Sacramento, California, Graeagle blends outdoor adventure such as horseback riding, nature hikes, fishing, and camping with country charm found at specialty shops, the Graeagle Arts and Crafts Fair, and a variety of restaurants serving every type of cuisine imaginable.

For more information about Graeagle, please visit www.easternplumaschamber.com

The Story Behind the Name Graeagle

Several different versions of how Graeagle (pronounced Gray Eagle) got its name have been produced. One is that a man named Edward D. Baker came to the area in 1856 on horseback stumping for the election of the famous explorer John C. Fremont. Fremont’s nickname was the Gray Eagle of Republicanism and therefore the name, Gray Eagle. Another version is that a local Indian Chief, named Grayeagle, once resided here and thus the name. By the way, there is a local creek called Gray Eagle Creek.

But more modern day history has it that when the California Fruit Exchange took over, they wanted to change the name of the town from Davies Mill to something else. They came up with the idea of a town naming contest for the company employees. The prize was to be $25. Well, a bookkeeper for the company, Belle Burn, daughter in law of Mrs. Arthur Davies, was looking outside when she saw the sign designating “Gray Eagle Creek” and she came up with the idea to merely drop the “y” out of gray and make it into one word. Thus the new name “Graeagle” won the contest and gave the community the name that it enjoys to this day.

Admission Fee (if any): Free

Ages Festival is Appropriate For: All ages