This year the Crooksville-Roseville Pottery Festival will be held in Crooksville Park. The official festival opening will be held at the Ceramic Museum and Heritage Center, 7327 Ceramic Road, and a large Hull Pottery auction will be held at the Roseville Community Center located at 13047 Karl Brown Road.

The Ceramic Museum and Heritage Center will be a busy place with exhibits, demonstrations and festival foods. The official festival opening ceremony takes place at the museum at noon Thursday. The breaking of the first plate followed by the auction of the first 10 commemorative plates signals the opening of the festivities. "All the local potteries will be on display and some ceramic pieces," said Kathryn Norman, museum director. "We'll be doing raku, glazing and firing from 2 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 12. Hopefully, we'll do a kiln opening at noon on July 15."

Activities at the park will include a pig-judging contest, a pie-judging contest followed by the pie auction, live music daily, pottery demonstrations and a Sermon from the Wheel with the Rev. Roy Storer on Sunday morning.

The Hull Pottery Association will hold its 14th annual convention, show and sale from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, at the Crooksville High School. Admission is $3, and visitors will find many rare and unusual pieces.

In conjunction with the festival, the 11th annual Crooksville-Roseville Pottery Festival Cruise-In will take place at noon Sunday, July 16, at the Roseville Recreation Center.

Auctions, banquets, in-room sales at area hotels, pottery filled museums, festivals and many other events make up the Zanesville Pottery Festival.

"The Hull Convention (in Crooksville) kicks off July 9 and there are additional pottery events through July 22," said Kelly Ashby, Zanesville-Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce vice president. "There are many well-attended events throughout the week depending on the pottery collector. There are events for the Hull Lovers, the McCoy Lovers, The Gonder Collectors and also the Pottery Lovers Reception. One event where everyone has the opportunity to come together and meet and greet with the local folks as well is the Taste of Zanesville on July 18."

Events around Zanesville will include sales at local potteries, auctions, and special displays of pottery at places like the Dr. Increase Mathews House, The National Road/Zane Grey Museum and the Zanesville Art Center.

"There are many opportunities to purchase pottery, paint your own pottery, view pottery exhibits and enjoy the history and heritage of pottery making that still takes place today," Ashby said. "We encourage visitors to stop here at the Chamber Offices, (205 N. Fifth St.) to pick up a visitors guide, pottery calendar of events, pottery guide and maps of the area."

In Cambridge, the Pottery Lovers will hold its annual Show and Sale July 20-21, at the Pritchard Laughlin Civic Center, 7033 Glenn Highway (U.S. 40).

The show and sale will feature about 75 quality dealers from all over the United States. They will offer a wide selection of rare pottery from local potteries as well.

"They can come here and compare pottery to glass because we (Cambridge) are known for our glass," said Shauna Hearing, information manager for the Visitors and Convention Bureau. "They can also look for different pottery in our antique shops. Penny Court Antique Mall has a display of Universal Pottery."