Newsletter
WELCOME
Here you can read where we’ve been, where we’re going, awards we’ve won, and more.
UPCOMING EVENTS
As our cold, snow winter is but a memory, we’re looking forward to another exciting year of speaking about the joy of owning llamas and showing Lenny and Vince.
Check out Kathy’s work at Arts at Canal Place in Cumberland, MD. The ornaments, soft sculpture and needle-felted pictures have been flying off the shelves! Cumberland has been named one of the country’s top 25 Art Towns by the readers of AmericanStyle magazine.
CUSTOM-DESIGN PICTURE
“Thank you for making this picture. It’s great.” R. J. Windber, PA.
Men love their machines. I needle-felted this John Deere tractor into a 5 x 7 frame from a photograph. A close-up look would reveal lots of engine details.
PENNSYLVANIA’S ARTISAN TRAILS PROGRAM
Kathy Matolyak and Loretta Radeschi were acceped into Pennsylvania’s Artisan Trails, a program of the Pennsylvania Cultural and Heritage Tourism Office that highlights fine craft artists along several routes in the commonwealth. Their work is featured in several shops along Route 30 from Adams to Westmoreland counties.
AWARDS
LENNY AND VINCE received SECOND and FOURTH place ribbons, respectively, for their fleece at the 14th Greater Appalachian Llama Association Convention in Harrisburg,PA in 2007. The fleece was judged on its softness, uniformity, brightness, fineness, cleanliness, ease in preparation for spinning, ease of spinning and softness of the finished yarn.
KATHY MATOLYAK - received two Blue Ribbons for her needle-felted ornaments at the 2008 Bedford County Fair.
A six-inch long three-dimensional felted llama received first place in the “Stuffed Dolls” category.
A mallard duck pin got top honors in “Jewelry.”
Loretta Radeschi’s needle-felted gourd and pumpkin took THIRD PLACE in “Accessories.”
RECENT EVENTS
Bedford County Fair - Back by popular demand, Leonardo and daVinci were at the 2009 Bedford County Fair to educate, entertain and delight fairgoers.
In June, 2009 Loretta and Kathy were invited to demonstrate and sell our ornaments, soft sculptures, pictures and Loretta’s basketsat The Gettysburg (PA) Festival, a 10-day event of performing and visual arts. href=”http://www.gettysburgfestival.org”>www.gettysburgfestival.org.
Everett Free Library in Everett, PA for the month of January 2009 featured a display of our llama ornaments, soft scultpure and pictures, along with yarn, wearables and other items made from llama fleece, as well as information about caring for these delightful animals. The exhibit drew lots of attention.
Old Bedford Village Pumpkin Festival in October 2008 welcomed Lenny and Vince where they entertained the public in their quiet, curious manner, and enthusaistically ate the grain the children fed them. Youngsters were read two stories “Is Your Mama A Llama” and “Llama Llama Red Pajama.” Each child was given a bag of fleece and a coloring page to take home.
2008 Bedford County Fair -The llamas were a hit at the Fair. A Cumberland, MD radio station was airing from the Fair, and Loretta had the opportunity to tell listeners about the gentle nature of these intelligent, curious animals. We’ve been asked to bring them again next year.
Summerfest at Old Bedford Village in July 2008 gave us an opportunity to talk about the art of needle-felting. Visitors from Germany, Italy, England and around the United States were among the hundreds of people who watched ornaments being made, and learned about llamas.
Bloody Run Rendezvous, a community festival in June, 2008 in Everett (once called Bloody Run), PA commemorating the 250th anniversary of the French, Indian and British War in this part of the commonwealth, welcomed the llamas, and asked us back next year. Children of all ages were delighted with Lenny and Vince, and the ways in which we use their fleece to create ornaments, soft sculptures and pictures.
MEDIA COVERAGE
Altoona Mirror, Bedford Gazette, Cumberland Times-News, Johnstown Democrat, Lancaster Farming, Lincoln Highway Journal, Pioneer Historical Society Newsletter, Shopper’s Guide
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