MENTZ - In a time when nearly everything we own or wear is created by machines, there is still a place for more traditional types of arts and crafts.

On Sunday, some of these crafts were showcased at Montezuma's Arts and Crafts Fair at the Historic Mentz Church.

From handmade brooms and hand-spun yarn to intricate examples of tatting, this fair, held by the Montezuma Historical Society, provided an opportunity to watch practitioners of various arts that are slowly becoming scarcer.

The fair was intended as a means for the Montezuma community to witness the older crafts being kept alive by fellow residents, such as Virginia Weathers, who was displaying examples of tatting, a detailed form of knitting using cotton thread.

Tatting, like other crafts on display, is an older art, and one that has become more difficult to find and appreciate.

Weathers said that, contrary to popular belief, tatting isn't quite a lost art, with conventions and gatherings for tatters held annually.

She beamed while a group of children gazed at the beautiful designs brought to life in her work.

“It's good for kids to realize there's more out there than television and computers,” Weathers said.

Visitors to the fair were also treated to demonstrations of some of these crafts, including the work of Anna Chappell, a Port Byron resident who demonstrated techniques for spinning yarn by hand on an old style spinning wheel. These demonstrations gave a face to techniques that many have only read about in history books, if at all.

The Montezuma Historical Society strives to keep knowledge and passion for history alive through this and similar functions and is dedicated to the preservation of crucial parts of the community's heritage.

Cheryl Longyear, the town historian, hopes that events such as the craft fair will help bring recognition and appreciation to the area's history.

The crafters who demonstrated these techniques show children they are part of something full of history.