Holiday bazaar to showcase ‘crafts for all seasons’
DUNBAR TWP. – Continuing its 37-year tradition, the Penn State Extension Service will offer its annual Holiday Craft Bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 12, when regional crafters will showcase handmade items depicting the four seasons. This year’s theme is “Crafts for All Seasons.” The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Fiddler’s Building at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.
Twenty to 30 crafters from Fayette and Greene counties as well as West Virginia will sell only handmade craft items. Wooden crafts with painted designs depicting the four seasons of the year, patterned-based clothing and scented candles are some of the crafts that will be featured at the bazaar.
“The event is a fund-raiser for the scholarships offered by the Family Living Advisory Committee, an offshoot of the Penn State Extension Service,” said Sheri Bergman, an employee of Penn State Cooperative Extension and assistant organizer of the bazaar.
Bergman explained that scholarships are available to local residents interested in taking refresher courses to those who want to pursue two- or four-year college degrees. A maximum value of $150 is usually offered to each individual, although a number of awards are given depending on the amount of proceeds raised at the event.
A $1 admission price will be charged at the entrance to pay for the scholarship fund.
Bergman said each guest will receive a ticket for a chance to win one of the door prizes that each craft table will donate plus a chance to receive a $50 gift certificate from the Tribune-Review newspaper. Since the drawings will take place at the bazaar, winners must be present to receive their prizes.
The craft bazaar is now more family-oriented than it was in the past, according to Bergman.
The four demonstrations that will be held throughout the day offer activities for children as well as adults.
A pumpkin carving demonstration, which was also featured during last year’s bazaar, will return again this year from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Kip Jacobs will show audience members the proper techniques to use when carving a pumpkin.
This year’s bazaar will feature three new demonstrations. From 11 a.m. to noon, “A Holiday Microwave Recipe” show will be presented by extension office employees Cheryl Chiplaskey and Carol Cottom from 11 a.m. to noon. A “Make a Snowman Pin” exhibit by Audrey White will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Johanna Doppelheuer will offer the demonstration “Southwest Clay Ornaments” from 2 to 3 p.m.
To highlight the seasonal theme of the bazaar, those attending can enjoy decorating a Christmas tree, while taking in their fall surroundings.
A variety of foods, including homemade soups, hamburgers and cabbage rolls, will be sold throughout the day. A bake sale will also take place.
Bergman said she expects attendance at the bazaar to reach an all-time high of 600 to 700 people, which would break last year’s figures of about 500 people.
“The bazaar has grown over the years,” Bergman said. “Nearly eight years ago, we designated the Fayette County Fairgrounds to hold the bazaar because of the increase in size.”
In addition to guests and participants spreading the word, the extension service developed a mailing list of those who attended the event in the past. They also publicized the event in regular newsletter announcements and used extensive advertising such as flyers and posters to attract people to the event.
“We have seen more and different crafters attend the event in recent years,” Bergman said. “There is a different crowd each year, but there is also people who have shown extreme loyalty to the event. We know of two crafters who have attended the event since the time it started.”
The Penn State Extension Service offers assistance with residents’ agricultural and horticultural needs, in addition to hosting seminars and classes on gardening, grant writing, child care and other issues.
For more information on the Holiday Craft Bazaar or the Family Living Advisory Committee Scholarship, contact the Penn State Extension Service at 724-438-0111.