You gotta shop local to be local. And we all know that local is the way to be. The Syracuse area is home to a variety of shops with local roots that serve as great holiday shopping stops. But none of them beat the sense of community and variety the Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival offers.
The Syracuse Peace Council’s Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival returns this year for its 40th anniversary Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4 and 5 at Nottingham High School. Festival hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We’re marking that history and wanting to remind people that this is really a community institution at this point,” said Andy Mager, a Peace Council staff person. “Forty years is quite a run for endeavors like this, and the fact that it’s continued to grow and prosper is a real sign that we’re meeting an important community need.”
The Plowshares will feature jewelry, ceramics, woodworking, photography, handmade clothing, rainsticks, origami, Native American stonecarving, herbal tinctures and more, all produced by local craftspeople. The convenience of one-stop shopping for a variety of unique gifts makes Plowshares the place for holiday shopping.
“There is a really wide range,” Mager noted. “And one of the things we really emphasize with craftspeople is to try and have products available in a wide price range, so that people who are on a low budget and are still looking for lovely handmade gifts can find some things. And by buying locally, and buying goods that are made by the labor of people in our community, the money really stays here and supports our local economy and we think that that’s really important.”
Along with the crafts being offered, Plowshares will also host many community organizations, such as Syracuse Community Choir, Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation and ArtRage Gallery. There will also be a full performance schedule, food from The Mission for sale and homemade treats available.
“There’s an effort to be more than a craft show, to be a social event, to provide entertainment, to have good food, to make it the kind of place that you don’t want to zip in and out of, but you want to come and spend a lot of time there,” Mager said.
The Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival has evolved over the years from a smaller, more contained event, to the community cornerstone it is today. The original home of the festival was in downtown Syracuse, at Plymouth Church, 232 E. Onondaga St. “{It} was a much smaller site than we have now, but it was quite packed,” Mager said. “I think that at the point, there were fewer, more professional sorts of craftspeople than there are now, and it was more people who were closer to the organization.”
The festival began in 1970, the same year as the Peace Council calendar, during the movement to stop the Vietnam War. “I think it was at a time when people were feeling somewhat weary about a lack of success in ending the war despite all the massive protests that had gone on,” Mager said. “There was a feeling that people needed to dig in a little more and look at celebration and culture as part of the movement.” Thus Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival was born. 
The festival continued at Plymouth Church about 15 years, and then moved to Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave., its home for the next 10 years. “At Southwest, we really began to develop the more multicultural orientation that has continued to be an important part of the identity of Plowshares,” Mager said. “Trying to bring together diverse people in the community and diverse kinds of arts and cultural representations, and to celebrate diversity.”
About seven years ago, Plowshares moved to its current home, Nottingham High School, 3100 E. Genesee St. Although the space the Peace Council uses in the high school is the largest of any of the Plowshares’ previous residences, there are still issues in regards to growth. “We now have to turn away quite a number of craftspeople whose work certainly fits into our general approach and standards but we just don’t have enough space,” Mager lamented. “We both like having craftspeople who have been there for many years, but also think it’s nice to bring in new people and freshen things up. One of the challenges is figuring out whether we want to be bigger, and if so, how to grow while maintaining a real community feel.”
By remaining at the high school, the Peace Council can continue making connections with the Nottingham community as well. For example, a steel drumming group from Nottingham is performing at Plowshares this year.
“The Syracuse City Schools are really hurting, and whatever we can do to show other people coming in the really positive things that are happening at Nottingham and other city schools, we think is important,” Mager said. “And to help bring some sunshine and excitement and inspiration to the school as well feels like a very important thing to do.”
Regardless of whether or not Plowshares eventually moves to a larger location, or expands within the high school itself, the Peace Council has made it a priority to stay within the city. “Plowshares is very much about celebration, about celebrating community, celebrating diversity, celebrating the ideals that we’re working to achieve,” Mager said. “When people come, they’re generally surprised at how pleasant it is, how many people they run into that they haven’t seen in a long time, the quality of the crafts, the joyful, kind of collegial atmosphere. So I’d encourage people who haven’t been before to check it out, and encourage people who’ve come in the past to bring some friends.”
Adult admission is on a sliding scale, $2 to $5; it’s free for those younger than 17 and older than 65. Space for parking and bike racks will be available; people are encouraged to carpool or take the Centro bus. For more information, call 472-5478, or visit www. peacecouncil.net.
