restaurants, automotive retailers and specialty shops line the drive from one end of the country to the other. Customers can purchase everything from a bushel of locally harvested crabs to a tailor-made wedding dress. These businesses, like the ones on Main Street, are also supported by a host of organizations. For instance, the Gloucester Community Foundation Scholarship is a program that pays for local business owners to take classes that offer pointers on how to keep their businesses vibrant and financially thriving. Furthermore, an economic picture of Gloucester would not be complete without mentioning the large community of watermen and dockworkers that supply the fantastic seafood for which the town of Gloucester is known. For generations, these skilled fishermen and oystermen have humbly harvested the local bays and rivers. Their hard work is showcased in restaurants and markets throughout the state of Virginia. The efforts of these dedicated men and woman are so important to the community that two seafood festivals are held every year. These annual ‘Seafood Festivals’ attract hundreds of people and
shine light on one of Gloucester’s most hard working economic communities. However, Gloucester’s economic makeup is not solely based on education, healthcare and commodity centric small businesses—it also has a strong artistic component. For centuries, Gloucester natives and transplants alike have worked to develop a rather large and encompassing network for artist, artisans and crafts workers. This network brings together hundreds of creative people for an elaborate array of art festivals and exhibitions. One of the most prominent of these showcases is known throughout the country as the Daffodil Festival. The Gloucester Daffodil festival is a major annual event held in the springtime. In addition to being a huge source of pride for the community, the festival also serves as an economic showcase for Gloucester’s food, art and people. For an entire weekend, large sections of Main Street are roped off and the flow of traffic is diverted so that festival participants can safely walk from vendor to vendor, from exhibit to exhibit. The event brings together a rustic hodgepodge of artist and artisans.
Chalk Festival
The House & Home Magazine
47
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