By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Judy Christensen, 77, has been chairman of the Art-in-the-Park committee for 30 years.

She said this year’s event showcased almost 100 vendors, down from last year.

“I think true crafters are dying off,” she said. “I went to craft shows all of my life, and I just know that many of the shows I went to have folded.”

For that reason, the gray area between homemade and commercial is shifting, with more commercial vendors being involved.

Christensen said the vendors she talked to were satisfied with the day.

“It was hot, and so many of them expressed appreciation for the shade and also the help the Boy Scouts provided in setting up and taking down their booths,” she said.

She was at the park from early morning until 8 p.m. and saw a steady stream of shoppers all day.

The bus that usually shuttled people back and forth from the football field to the park broke down, so several people used their own vehicles.

Food vendors also were down this year, so there wasn’t enough food, Christensen said. Art in the Park allows only local vendors to provide fund-raising opportunities, but some regulars were absent this year.

Christensen said some people came from Hillsboro to eat in the park and take advantage of the shade and sit-down food tent.

The county usually provides community service workers, but there weren’t any this year, Christensen said.

So she and city recreation director Margo Yates filled in.

“We survived all the crises,” she said. “We made do. We just wish more people would volunteer to help, especially the day before and day of the show.”

Christensen had decided this would be her last year to chair the event, but she has had so much experience assigning spaces that it is no longer a chore, she said.

“I’ll do it again if we can get some more volunteers,” she said.