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Board presses staff on enforcement of '75% handmade' rule as vendors increase at Village Fest
Summary
Board members raised concerns about enforcement and interpretation of the festival's 75% handmade-content rule after seeing vendors display mass-produced chains; staff said revised rules will be presented at the next meeting and urged members to report specific vendors for investigation.
A recurring compliance issue at Village Fest—whether displayed jewelry and chains meet the festival’s 75% handmade-content requirement—became a focus of the Village Board’s April 28 meeting.
One board member said the process can feel personal and difficult. “I struggle because, you know, people come before us here and they have their products and it's happened. I'm judge, juror, and executioner,” the board member said, describing the difficulty of screening applicants in open session. Staff advised that when board members spot items on the festival street that may not meet the 75% threshold they should notify staff so officials can review permit records and historical approvals.
Staff also emphasized the subjectivity of past interpretations and said that prior boards approved some items under different readings of the rule. The board asked staff to prioritize the completion of revised rules and regulations; staff said those revisions will be delivered at the next meeting to provide clearer guidance for juries and enforcement.
Board members discussed practical examples: staff clarified that the 75% test applies to the handmade portion of the complete item (for example, a handcrafted pendant attached to a commercially purchased chain may be acceptable if the pendant and other handcrafted work constitute 75% of the finished product), and that chains should not be displayed or sold separately if they are not themselves handcrafted to the 75% standard.
The board did not adopt any new enforcement policies at the meeting. Instead, it directed staff to investigate specific vendors when concerns are identified and to present amended rules to guide future approval decisions.
