By Kathy Chouteau
Back by popular demandāand on the heels of Earth Dayāthe āUPcycle Spring Festā will return April 24 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. to the open lot adjacent to the Abrams Claghorn Gallery, 1251 Solano Ave. in Albany. The second incarnation of the event, which debuted at the same spot in September 2021, will feature a spring-appropriate āflower powerā theme, as well as a contingent of Richmond artists.
Katie Harrison, a resident of Richmondās Panhandle Annex and the event founder/organizer, said the Fest will feature 20 vendors, among them local area artisans, crafters, makers, etc. who upcycle materials to create their works, in turn, saving those items from ending up in landfills.
Harrison said that the first UPcycle Fest received overwhelming support from āevery nook and cranny of the surrounding communitiesā and that the spring event carries on the same overall aim: āTo continue inspiring each other to find new ways to upcycle and reduce [waste] and to try to educate ourselves and each other in a creative, fun way.ā
The event organizer, who is a flight attendant by trade, will also be a vendor at the Fest via her side businessāBeer Can Gardensāwhere she sells plants in upcycled beer cans, tea pots, wine bottles and other creatively reused containers. Sheāll also have some vintage clothes for sale and a āMake & Take Workshopā where people can choose their own container and plant their own succulents.

Aside from Harrison, others selling or displaying their upcycled creations will be Richmondās own CJ Grossman, who makes garden jewelry and who will have a second booth featuring secondhand art supplies; Steve Zwetsch of Cigar Box Kitchen Guitars in El Sobrante, who will have cigar box guitars for sale/ordering; and Richmondās anonymous Beer Can Monolith Creator, who will once again be making a beer-can archway for the event, as well as pyramids and other surprises.
Other upcyclers from nearby communities will also be on hand at the Fest and Harrison is looking to line up a food truck via Dispatch Goodsāknown for working to stop waste in the restaurant communityābut that offering remains unconfirmed as of this writing.
Vendors surrounding the Upcycle/flower power theme are still being accepted by the UPcycle Spring Fest; to inquire about participating, contact Harrison at [email protected] or on Instagram via @beer_can_gardens. To check out a video of last yearās UPcycle Fest by Alex McCutcheon, click here.
As for future plans, Harrison hopes to expand the UPcycle Fest to occur more than twice a year and encourages any venues out there wanting to host one to contact her at the aforementioned email.