ERIEAU – This lakeside community along the shore of Lake Erie was packed with people on Saturday for the popular Art on the Boulevard show.
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About 100 vendors were set up along the walkway that runs through the heart of the village offering a wide variety of art work during the 13th annual event.
Unleashing their creative side has provided a great hobby and business for some local people participating in the show.
John Beenackers, owner of Yard Art Johnny – Repurposed Tools & Metal Yard Art in Highgate, was attracting attention for a creative guitar he made using a chain, spark plugs and various wrenches among other things.
He started creating the art works about six years ago after his wife was looking at similar art on Pintrest.
Beenackers said, “Oh, I can make that and it just snowballed from there.”
He said it doesn’t take long to put his metal works guitar together, adding the time consuming part is “finding and getting all the parts to do it.”
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Beeneckers has been coming to Art on the Boulevard since he began making his art work.
He enjoys meeting the people and many like his art.
“It’s busy and I love doing this, so it’s a win-win,” Beeneckers said.
Chainsaw artists Dan Greenwood and Heather Mallaby of Erie Treasures had several of their works for sale at the Erieau event.
Greenwood said they couple have been doing chainsaw art for about nine years after going to see a chainsaw carving competition in Ben Miller near Goderich.
He added they decided they had to learn how to do that and “we’ve been doing it ever since.”
“It’s fun, it’s a relaxing hobby,” said Greenwood, who used to own and operate Greenwood Auto Body in Thamesville for 46 years.
“When I retired we started doing this,” he added. “I wish we would have started doing this 30 years ago.”
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Andy Vaughan, owner of Andy’s Creative Birdhouses, credits his granddaughter for getting him into the hobby and into retirement.
Thirteen-year-old Keyleigh Vaughan, who helping her grandfather on Saturday said, “I wanted him to make a birdhouse one day and he did and then he started making these birdhouses.”
Andy Vaughan joked it was the “kick in the butt” that got him into the hobby.
“It’s just something to do,” he said. “I’m retired and I need something to do and it’s nice to be creative.”
Vaughan said this is the second year at Art on the Boulevard and he plans on returning, adding sales were going well on Saturday.
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