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. The award also includes one year of free advertising on our Bluemont Fair website.

In 2006, our first place winner was Dan Fout with South Mountain Woodburning. It was his first-ever show at the Bluemont Fair. He was surprised and thrilled to be chosen as our juried crafts winner.

Dan Fout was first introduced to the handcraft of woodburning by a college friend who was selling her woodburnings at a local Frederick, Maryland shop. He’d minored in art history in college and the woodburning craft intrigued him. Soon he was creating his own woodburnt pieces, specializing in cutting boards and carved kitchen utensils. Within the year, he became a full-fledged juried member of the Frederick County Craftpeoples Guild and had enough inventory to start selling his work at local craft fairs.

Five years later, in 1981, Dan co-founded the Schifferstadt Gallery, a cooperative comprising 16 local craftspeople who represented the highest quality fine art and crafts in the Frederick, MD area. He organized the first Schifferstadt Arts and Crafts Show on the grounds of historic Schifferstadt, the oldest stone home in Frederick city. More than 25 years later, the annual Schifferstadt Oktoberfest continues to host the finest art and crafts in the region.

Dan has exhibited his woodburnings at juried craft fairs for more than 30 years. He’s participated in hundreds of fairs in the tri-state area and he still enjoys interacting with the many craft show visitors. Dan says the Bluemont Fair reminds him of craft festivals from years ago where there was a wonderful mix of crafts, antiques, regional music, children's games and amusements, and local agricultural exhibits. He had great fun at our Fair and loved the variety of events co-mingled in a beautiful rural setting.

Dan’s products are made from assorted hardwoods, primarily maple and cherry and he applies the woodburnt designs freehand. His favorite designs represent regional farm scenes, historic buildings, and local wildlife. He intends his work to be both decorative and functional.

In 2005, Dan and his wife, Linda, built a small log cabin behind their 1836 home in scenic Burkittsville, MD to serve as an antique and craft shop. Linda’s passion is jewelry and pillows made from 19th century coverlets and quilts. The shop is open to visitors most weekends.