Cathy Dobson/The Independent

Eighteen years after she took on the chairmanship for Petrolia’s annual Art in the Park, Carol Graham runs a well-oiled machine in the Hard Oil Town.

“It’s become a coveted event for artists because it’s juried and is so well-attended,” Graham said as the crowds arrived Friday for the two-day event in Victoria Park.  

This year, a record number of 63 artisans from across Southwestern Ontario set up tents full of artwork, beauty products, clothing and other handmade items.

Graham’s committee of seven carefully selected which artists were accepted to the show from about 100 who applied.  It’s a competitive process, she said, that considers the quality of the products and ensures a lot of choice and variety for attendees.

Returning this year was Mary Jagt of Petrolia who sells hand-sewn and knitted doll clothes.  Her tent was filled with every kind of clothing imaginable for an 18-inch doll, including fancy dresses, backpacks, slippers, sweaters and hats.  

Jagt has been hand-making doll clothes since she was a kid and selling them at craft sales like Art in the Park for 20 years.  She’s a seasoned professional but received one of her most unique inquiries about a custom job on Friday.

Ginny Williams, a member of the Charlotte Englehart Hospital Auxiliary, spotted Jagt’s tent and asked if she could potentially help with a project for the volunteer-run gift shop known as Charlotte’s Boutique in the hospital.

The Auxiliary has acquired a doll for the shop and wants to dress her in period-clothing resembling Charlotte Englehart, who lived from 1863 – 1908 and donated the family mansion to the Town of Petrolia to be used as a hospital.

“That’s a challenge and I like a good challenge,” said Jagt. “It’s one of the many things I like about Art in the Park.”