Anne Rule-Thompson demonstrates how an encaustic work of art is created at Tour Stop #4 on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The 34th Annual Over the Mountain Studio Tour returned to Jefferson County this past Saturday and Sunday, featuring the work of 17 local artists and artisans at nine different stops throughout the county.

Hundreds of community members and tourists alike attended the juried tour, which seemed to prove that it could be successful, even when longtime attendees might be blocked from coming, due to events like the temporary closure of U.S. Route 340 for construction. Detour information was provided on the tour’s website, to help potential attendees from outside the area find their way around the route closure.

“We were kind of worried about the traffic situation, but it didn’t seem to make a difference,” said Shepherdstown resident Esther Murphy, who is in her second year selling pottery on the tour. “It was a really good weekend! We had a lot of fun and there were a lot of people who came through.”

Another Shepherdstown-based artist, Roselyn Sanders Mendez, said she was also pleased with how the tour turned out this year.

“I love the tour! This is my 10th year on the tour, so it’s a comfortable place to be,” Mendez said. “We have a lot of old members come through and people who have been coming on the tour for years — that’s exciting. Some people come from D.C. who you may only see once a year on the studio tour.”

Mixed media artist Linda Case, left, discusses her artwork with an Over the Mountain Studio Tour attendee at the Case Nature Center on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston

Melissa Lettick, owner of The Herb Lady Potpourri Company and The Mystical Imagination Arts Studio, participated for the first time in this year’s tour, at Tour Stop #7 in the Shenandoah Planing Mill. While she had booths displaying both of her businesses at this year’s event, she said she plans to cut back next year to a more manageable level.

“I would like to do the tour again, but if I did both of them, I would minimize The Herb Lady. It took me six hours to set this booth up!” Lettick said, noting that having two booths could also be challenging to manage, when crowds were demanding attention at both spaces. “It spreads me too thin.”

According to Lettick, while the overall number of tour attendees was similar to that in years’ past, less attendees seemed to be visiting the tour stops closer to U.S. Route 340.

“The road closure is affecting things a lot,” Lettick said. “People are starting in Shepherdstown more, I think. A lot of my regular customers come from Virginia and Maryland, but when you’re faced with an extra half hour of driving, that can affect things. Thankfully, it’s been a beautiful weekend, so that’s helped draw some people out of doors and onto the tour.”

Community members and tourists wander through fiber artist Bridget Brown’s wool shop at Tour Stop #9 on Sunday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

Displayed at Tour Stop #6, “The Ethereal Bride” was created out of author Nora Roberts’ book pages by paper artist Liz Goins, with the help of Nathan Barnes and Judy Chesley. Tabitha Johnston

Melissa Lettick, owner of the The Herb Lady Potpourri Company, fills. bag of potpourri for customers at the Shenandoah Planing Mill on Sunday. Tabitha Johnston