The year 2020 has been hard on everyone. In the age of Covid-19 we have all had to sacrifice and reevaluate our daily routines, weighing the cost of safety over that of making a living and putting food on the table. In a time when the essentials of life are what is important, arts and entertainment have taken a back seat to public safety.

 For some however, the arts are their livelihood. The crafts of creating are what puts food on the table and provides a roof over their head. The artist that are part of the annual Off the Beaten Path Tour are standing together, and reminding everyone that they need you now more than ever.

 Like so many other events DeKalb County residents had taken for granted, the Off the Beaten Path Tour fell victim to the coronavirus pandemic. Like the Smithville Fiddlers' Jamboree and Crafts Festival, and the DeKalb County Fair, the oldest county fair in the south, the 21-year-old craft tour was just always thought to happen. But, this is not a normal year.

 "It was a hard decision," said Off the Beaten Path artist Claudia Lee. "We talked about it back and forth quite a lot, and not everybody agreed. Some people wanted us to wait until late June, or even August, to make the decision, but they don't understand that we actually start in February getting sponsors and setting things up. We didn't feel like we could ask our sponsors to do that this year at all."

Lee, owner of Liberty Paper, makes handmade paper and artwork from her studio. She was joined by Louis Colombarini of Cosmic Clay, and Rob Harvey of Creek Bend Pottery in an interview with the Smithville Review that wants to remind all their customers that they are still in business and still need your support.

 "I think it was the right decision," Colombarini added. He, along with his wife, Christine, have been creating primitive fired decorative ceramics for over 45 years and is now beginning to teach what they've learned. " I think out of respect for our customers, we can't ask them to come out at a time like this."

Rob Harvey, agreed. His Creek Bend Pottery creates wood fired stoneware. "We have hundreds of people coming through, and that's a lot of people."

 But, while the tour is not happening this year, the artist want the public to know that there is still a way for customers to interact with the artists, and support their crafts. "We want people to know that we have a really beautiful website, which we're always trying to drive people to," Lee explained. "That's where all our information is. The website is offthebeatenpathtour.com."

 Lee continued, "There they can click on different artists, especially if they already know the artist they're interested in. That's where people can find out what's going on with those artists this year. Some will be selling online, some off their own websites. Some artists will be opening their studios by appointment."

 "There will be a handful of people that will have work available," Colombarini added. "Nothing like what it used to be in the past. They will be there, and in our case, we will be social distancing and wearing masks."

 Lee explained that the website is a good conduit to support the artists all year. "They can shop at any time, all year long, by getting in touch with the artist they're interested in, and seeing if they're open to having studio visits. I have people do that all the time. Some studios might not be selling their work, but they may be offering workshops, or classes this year."

 While the pandemic has cancelled the tour this year, some artists are offering incentives for their services. "Some artists are also offering gift certificates," Lee said. "You don't have to come to the studio. You can get a gift certificate to take a class or to buy artwork. That would be a great gift for somebody."

 "We have glassblowers, felt makers, jewelers, woodworkers, weavers, and we have other textile artists," Lee explained. "There's about 14 studios in the tour, and almost every one of those have guest artists.

 "Everybody is still in their studio working," Colombarini added. "Each studio might average three artist, making about 40 artists available."

 Lee continued, "We're also starting our plans for the tour for next year. We hope to be back with the full tour. I hope that it works out, and we're planning on it. This is our 21st year, and we have a big following. People know who their favorite artist are, and who they like."

 "We want people to support the artists community as much as they can, because like everyone else all of our jobs have dried up. So, we have to come up with other ways of making this work. The holidays are still coming. People still want to shop."

 Colombarini also mentioned the possibility of a Spring tour coming up. "We're in the preliminary stages of having a Spring tour that would run in April. We've already been in touch with Twisted Oaks about hosting that with us. It's something we will pursue further as the new year arrives, and see if things are better so we can have that."

 To visit the Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour website, go to offthebeatenpathtour.com.