Every year the Bluemont Fair Crafts Jury selects one artisan from the more than one hundred winning juried crafters to be our First Place winner. This artisan is judged to have the most unique craft as well as overall best exhibit during the Fair and is awarded a blue ribbon and a free space at the following year's Fair. Beginning with the 2003 award recipient, the award also now includes one-year of free advertising on our Bluemont Fair website.

In 2003, our first place winner was John Kovac, Harpist extraordinaire. His beautiful handmade harps are works of art as well as instruments to bring melodious music to the ears.

Here is a little bit of information about our winner. John Kovac began his love affair with harps while serving in the Peace corps in Colombia, where he first saw someone play the harp. Since then he has made over 200 harps and has recorded over 20 albums. He has played at three international harp festivals and is featured on a recording with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra. He has lectured about harpmaking at the Library of Congress and is the author of Harpmaking Made Simple.

In 1991 John gave up the practice of law for the practice of music.