In preparation for the annual summer festival, Padanaram Business Association had to review over 90 vendors to fill out 50 spots. The only rule? Everything for sale needs to be made by artists and artisans. 

“A lot of businesses only sell online,” said Nicole Mello, treasurer for the association. “[The festival] gives people a chance to meet the artists.”

Photographer Michael Morris echoed that sentiment: he said there’s a stark difference between seeing something on a screen and seeing the full-scale work in person. 

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase your work and your talents,” Morris said. “You get to show off your local flare.”

The “local flare” is key for Morris, as much of his work depicts South Coast landscapes or iconography. This year was Morris’s sixth time at the festival, and “every year, it gets better,” he said.

The 2023 Padanaram Summer Festival took over the streets July 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., narrowly avoiding the evening rain. In addition to local artists and artisans, festivalgoers enjoyed food trucks, sidewalk sales, raffles, kids’ games and a healthy dose of sunshine, albeit partial. 

Mello said the business association worked to keep the vendor stands as diverse as possible in their offerings. 

Kellie Ferreira, who lives in New Bedford, sells wooden planters that are shaped and decorated to look like different breeds of dogs. 

Leslie McRae helps her friend sell “fire bowls,” which are concrete bowls that buyers can fill with rubbing alcohol and light on fire. 

Tom Kummer, who lives in New Bedford, sells his paintings, which range from idyllic South Coast landscapes to depictions of a chicken drinking a martini or a goat wearing glasses.

Ethan Spencer, who works at Thames Glass in Newport, sells glass platters, bowls and sculptures he made in their production shop. The summer festival was Spencer’s first time selling his work in person. 

“It’s really nice to get the feedback from people and see what they like,” Spencer said. 

Alongside the varied adult artists and artisans, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church hosted the “Kids Zone,” where entrepreneurial children set up their own booths with homemade crafts, baked goods and secondhand clothing. 

“Kids are learning how to be entrepreneurs,” Mello said. “[Kids will think] ‘big people are doing that and so can I.’”

“I just like making them,” said 11-year-old Rebecca Watson, who ran her table “Becca’s Bakery and Boutique.”

Nextdoor, Katie Dury sold her handmade jewelry, which she said she started making as Christmas gifts for family members. Her sister Emma sold vintage Barbie dolls at the same table, which she got from her mother. 

At the front of the kids zone, kids from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church’s youth ministry took turns sitting in the dunk tank, which was hit frequently by guests. 

The all-day festival brought throngs of visitors, both from Dartmouth and neighboring towns. 

Stan Ziobro, from Bristol, was just visiting Padanaram on what he thought was a normal Saturday, but stumbled upon the festival instead. He said he appreciated that the festival had so many unique items, and “not just stuff you get in a strip mall.”

Christine Hagerty, from Lakeville, said this was her second time at the festival, which she appreciates as a pedestrian zone that’s free to walk around in, with local artists on display. 

“We get people from everywhere,” Mello said. “It's all about the artists and making sure they get their spotlight.”