Three woman from New York visited Pottsville on Friday to get in touch with their creative side at Mud & Maker.
Annette Martin, 58, of Burdett, Maureen Letteer, 51, of Odessa, and Deb Stephenson, 50, of Elmira, wanted to experience what it was like sculpting clay on a potter’s wheel. Martin said she started a bucket list seven or eight years ago because of a prior medical issue.
“I wanted to feel what the experience of making something like that was,” she said.
Friday was the first day of the Spring Thaw Art & Culture Tour. Mud & Maker is one of nine stops on the tour, which runs until Sunday, though some events will be held later this month. The tour is free but some optional events have a cost.
At Mud & Maker, visitors had the chance to browse the shop at 6 S. Centre St. Today and Sunday, visitors can paint their own pottery starting at $5.
The women left about 7 a.m. Friday for their trip to Schuylkill County. Before visiting Mud & Maker, they stopped by several places including D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc. Brewery, Mahantongo Street, where they took a tour and met the brewery’s owner and president, Richard L. “Dick” Yuengling Jr.
Martin sculpted the clay she described as cool and creamy. Before getting her hand wet at the wheel, she picked a design in the shape of a heart to apply to the outside of her soon-to-be creation.
Letteer was decorating four cutouts she wanted to place on her creation. She said they were to honor her best friend, her 9-year-old dog, Dolly, for its birthday.
Stephanie Premich, co-owner of Mud & Maker, said they will get their creations in about two weeks after they set, get placed in a kiln twice and have time to cool.
Stephenson said the experience was one to be remembered.
“I’m just going to display it proudly,” she said.
Martin said they plan to visit as many stops on the tour as they can this weekend before going back to New York.
Other participating businesses and venues are The Walk In Art Center, 220 Parkway, Schuylkill Haven; The Arts Barn, 3 Berry Road, Schuylkill Haven; Tamaqua Community Art Center and The Seed House, 125 Pine St., Tamaqua; Hamburg Field House; The Art of the Brew Craft Beer Festival, rear of 127 S. Fourth St., Hamburg; The Art & Craft Gallery of Hamburg, 335 S. State St. Hamburg; Stonehedge Co-Op, 51 Dairy Road, Tamaqua; and The Strawberry Playhouse, 60 Church St. Tuscarora. The Gabriel Youth Orchestra will hold its Spring Concert at 3 p.m. May 1 at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School, Pottsville.
The tour sponsored by Celebrate Schuylkill and the Schuylkill County Visitor’s Bureau. For more information visit www.celebrateschuylkill.com.