2018 Lone Star Gourd Festival

The ancient art of decorating gourds never fails to amaze. Many people have no idea that gourds – used by our ancestors as food and medicinal containers – can be skillfully rendered as works of art that sell for hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Multiple techniques come together to create a gourd art piece. They can be carved, wood-burned, painted, dyed, inlaid, coiled, woven, or just about anything else you can think of. They are even built into sculptural pieces.

The Lone Star Gourd Festival, sponsored by the Texas Gourd Society, is an annual event open to the public. Gourd art classes will open early as noted above. Competition gourds will be judged and ribbons placed Thursday night so that the public may see the winners. All visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite piece and the artist winning that vote will receive the People’s Choice award, announced on Sunday.