SAXONBURG — The annual Saxonburg Festival of the Arts celebrated its 30th year over the weekend despite rainy weather on both days.

The weekend event showcased arts in Roebling Park, Cooper Hall and along Main Street. It featured classical arts like painting and woodworking to other attractions like a car cruise and tractor shows.

Heavy rains early Saturday morning delayed the crowds to the annual event, but visitors picked up as the day went on.

Maria McCullough, a festival organizer, said today more people started to come after the weather cleared, and she said Sunday was well attended.

She could not provide an estimate of how many people were there, but said it seemed that everyone had fun.

“From everything the vendors told me, they had a lot of business,” McCullough said. “There were a lot of people there.”

Lauren McRoberts of Saxonburg displayed her crochet headbands and hats.

She said she picked up on the art about 2 years ago and has created a small business out of it — Silk with a Sizzle.

“It's named after my horse,” she said.

McRoberts said it was her second festival, adding the weather affected the crowd a little more than she would've hoped to start the event.

“It's starting to pick up a little,” she said Saturday afternoon. “Luckily it seems people look a lot more on Saturday then come back to buy on Sunday.”

McRoberts said, “I only use Norwegian yarn. It's a higher quality than what you would find in (department stores). I think of it as high-fashion crochet.”

Her work has caught international attention via her Etsy store.

“I sold a piece that was worn at the Kentucky Derby this year,” she said. “And I get sales from Europe.”

Shirley Winkler of Saxonburg also is internationally known for her ikebana art — the Japanese art of flower arraignment.

“I lived in Japan for six years,” she said, adding she teaches the art in Pittsburgh.

Her focus is on the Ichiyo school of ikebana and she is one of only six foreign certified executive masters in the world.

She produced a display for the festival using pieces arraigned by multiple artists from as far away as Kansas.

“It's an autumn scene this year,” she said.

She said the art focuses on voids and the branches, baskets and stones used in a piece are meant to represent the artist's feelings.

Sylvia Neubert of Saxonburg was again showing off her second place painting of a scene of Santorini, Greece, in the art exhibit.

Neubert, who won Best of Show last year, said she has been at the festival every year since its inception.

“It's always exciting (to be honored),” she said. “It never dwindles.”

She said the inspiration for her latest painting came from a trip she made more than a decade ago.

“The city has the most beautiful shadows,” she said. “The architecture is strange — nothing is in a straight line. Everything is crooked.”

While there was a lot of fine art on display, Mark Grossi of Butler spent the day painting landscapes live.

“I've been here for 10 years,” he said of the festival. “Each year is different depending on the weather. You never know what you will get.”

Grossi said the weather Saturday wasn't perfect, but added it wasn't the worst it has been.

“Three years ago it rained through the whole weekend,” he said. “It washed out everything.”

His paints landscapes in a style he said he picked up from Bob Ross, who hosted a PBS television show, “The Joy of Painting.”

“I've been painting for 28 years, ever since I was 14,” he said. “Art had always been my favorite subject, and one day I came across Bob Ross and wanted to try what he was doing.”

While Grossi's paintings are detailed, he said he doesn't have a set vision ahead of time.

Instead, he simply begins painting and practicing different techniques, eventually producing fine scenery.

Practice, he said, is the most important task for new artists.

“When I first started things didn't turn out the way I expected,” he said. “But you have to practice with different paints, create angles, how to apply pressure. It's all practice.”