Hutchinson ? A $210 picnic table — sold. A $155 wishing well, a $125 yard swing — sold.

The pieces’ creators couldn’t be on hand to see their success at the Hutchinson Art Assn. Art Fair this past weekend, though. The items were made by 15 medium-security inmates at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility.

“It’s tremendously exciting to see a student finish a project and see that pride in their work,” Keith Goetz, a vocational instructor at the prison. “It’s very gratifying to see their hard work pay off into something worthwhile.”

Goetz accepted the job at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility as a temporary position, but 12 years later he said he knew he made the right decision to leave his teaching job in Liberal.

“I know in my job I can’t help everybody, but I try and plant a seed and give them hope,” he said.

One way to do that, Goetz said, was to help the inmates develop marketable skills.

“A lot of these guys have some talent and skills, but have made poor choices in their lives,” he said. “It’s really up to them to change that. If they’re willing, I believe we can help change 95 percent of them.”

For some inmates, the vocational instruction pays off upon release.

“I know of several inmates who have gotten out and landed jobs,” Goetz said. “It’s exciting to see them back contributing to society. That’s when you know you’ve made a difference.”

Carol Carson, the assistant director of education at the prison, kept busy writing orders that would help buy supplies for future woodwork projects.

“It’s gone better than expected. The men will be pleasantly surprised by how well we’ve done,” Carson said. “The program is great because it gives the inmates a job they can take some pride in.”