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GARYVILLE — Industry and history meet art and culture at the annual Frisco Fest, and this year’s event brought an estimated 5,000 visitors to the scenic grounds of San Francisco Plantation in Garyville.

More than 100 crafters, artists and chefs set up shop along the new sidewalk leading to the historic San Francisco Plantation House. Some explored the home, while others fed their soul with shopping, live music, a car show, an exciting fun run and the thrilling Tour De’ San Francisco bike tour.

Industry sponsors along the river came together to cook jambalaya and pastalaya for the masses, according to coordinator Kim Fontenot.

“We have such a great team to help us put this craft show on with Marathon being our major sponsor,” Fontenot said. “It was a beautiful weekend. We had a lot of visitors and a lot of shoppers. It’s something I really look forward to continuing and making it better every year.”

Handmade soaps, New Orleans-inspired paintings, custom woodwork, hand-stitched children’s clothing and homemade fudge were among the unique items featured at the festival. Renowned wildlife artist Ron Atwood was among the vendors.

“Most of these people have 9 to 5 jobs. I really admire their work ethic and how they stay committed to making such beautiful products,” Fontenot said. “It’s part of our culture.”

Daniel and Dahlia Day traveled all the way from Mobile, Alabama to attend Frisco Fest for the first time. They were impressed by the beautiful weather, the friendliness of the people they encountered, and the level of talent they saw from neighboring booths.

For the past three years, the Day family has operated Nature’s Nuance LLC out of a storefront while also traveling to festivals and shows around the Southeast United States. They specialize in all-natural handcrafted soaps, salt and sugar scrubs, hair and body butters, healing oils and more.

“Our granddaughter had some skin issues, so we did some research and developed our avocado soap, Holy Guacamole, for her,” Daniel Day said. “It worked so well for her that we shared it with others and started giving soaps to our friends and family. They encouraged us to expand and start selling.”

Another vendor, Joe and Jess’ Custom Creations, had humble beginnings. Joseph Gray bought his daughter a yorkie puppy in 2014 and built a lavish wooden bed with a headboard for the dog to sleep in. When he posted it to Facebook, the business caught on, and people began making custom requests for dog beds to match their master bedroom furniture.

Since then, Joe and Jess’ Custom Creations has expanded to include custom cypress board signs for homes, yards and even man caves and she sheds. All of the work is done locally in Prairieville.

This past weekend marked the fifth year Gray has attended Frisco Fest. He now looks forward to it kicking off his spring festival season.

“We do a lot of shows. Frisco Fest is one of the ones we stick to,” Gray said. “I’m from Lutcher. This is the closest I feel to going back home and seeing people I know and have talked to before.”

When Fred Weber retired from working as a general contractor in New Orleans, his wife said he needed to find a way to make his days productive. He started making stained glass creations on a whim 35 years ago.

He started selling his designs about 15 years ago, and he was happy to share his artistry with the people of the River Parishes at this year’s Frisco Fest.

Weber said abstract designs have gone over well with the crowd. He aims to incorporate a variety of colors and textures into his stained glass artwork.

Jenice McCardell’s Clay Creations was another popular booth at this year’s Frisco Fest. She majored in ceramics at the University of Florida before moving to the French Quarter. Inspired by the unique architecture of the city, she developed her signature sculptures using white clay. Every piece is hand-painted and fired twice in a high-temperature kiln.

“We cover schools, churches, venues, restaurants and bars,” McCardell said. “We do custom work of people’s homes and businesses.”

Amanda Bergeron of LaPlace said shopping is one of her favorite activities at Frisco Fest. She was pleased to purchase a slate plaque bearing her family’s last name.

She was also happy to spend the day with her toddler son, Baker, and enjoy some of the children’s activities offered at the festival.

A fruit smoothie station, a jumbo trampoline, pony rides and a petting zoo complete with alpacas, chickens and herding dogs brought excitement to the youngest guests.

Visitors of all ages gathered under the twinkle lights of the Sugar Mill Pavilion to enjoy classic zydeco hits from returning headliner Geno Delofose and the French Rockin’ Boogie.

For more information about Frisco Fest, visit sanfranciscoplantation.org.