Saturday was a day of art and craftiness, and I mean that in more than one way.

1. We spent the morning at Glensheen’s Festival of Fine Art and Craft. As someone who moved here initially less than enthusiastically (when I moved here eight years ago, it felt like everything but the bars closed by 6 and all of the art featured bears or lift bridges), I know that art fairs are places to reawaken the wonder of living in Duluth. Whether we mean the powerful and yet hypnotizing demonstrations of “Forging Communities” or the one-of-a-kind creativity of artists like Laura Holewa of Lolamade Monsters (who created the magical creatures below, some of whom glow in the dark…) — this kind of concentrated creative experience re-enchants Duluth.  Heck, even the photos of the lift bridge started to look pretty cool.

2.  We also visited the Nice Girls of the North Second Saturday Marketplace.  The Second Saturday Marketplace is held at the Lakeside Lester Park Community Center (the former Lakeside Library) — all the way out east, so far east, when I’m out there, I’m either headed to Two Harbors or looking for the best Pazcskis in town (at the SuperOne — much better at that branch than the others).

There was amazingly beautiful art (especially some glass fish), there was fragrant handmade soap, and there were a striking number of re-purposed creations — Kindle covers made from old shirts, coat racks made from old hockey sticks, and so on. Again, a re-enchanting experience.

3. The Lakeside Lester Park Community Center is its own kind of awesome, re-enchanting space. It’s awesome to see a community center thrive like this one does, with minimal or no public operations support. It’s also a great place to pick up “Look at Lakeside,” a community newsletter that, again, shows that a Duluth neighborhood can thrive (even if it doesn’t repeal the dry ordinance).

Craftiness — whether it means building a coat rack from hockey sticks or a monster from sculpey, whether it means using Glensheen’s grounds for a fundraising arts festival or a ex-library for a market — lots of it this weekend.