CHIMACUM – Unique holiday gifts can be found close to home this weekend at the 24th annual Chimacum Arts & Crafts Fair, where 100 vendors will sell locally made arts and crafts.
The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Chimacum High School gymnasium and commons, 91 West Valley Road.
“If you buy a present at the fair, it will be something that you cannot get anywhere else,” said Shelby Smith, who exhibits her homemade glasswork and jewelry at the fair along with her mother, Maggie Smith.
“It won’t be something that you could find at the mall.”
Admission is $3, or $2 with a can of food or a coupon that can be found at QFC stores, some restaurants and — in the form of an ad — in Peninsula Spotlight, the Peninsula Daily News’ weekly entertainment guide, in last week’s and today’s PDN.
Student fundraiser
The fair raises funds for students in the Chimacum, Quilcene and Port Townsend public school districts and has donated more than $150,000 to local schools over the past 23 years.
“The money we raise from the fair has allowed us to get items that the kids would not be able to afford, such as cameras or a kiln,” said Flavia Heineman, who has been involved with the fair since its inception.
Food donations go to Tri-Area Food Bank.
Heineman said the relationship between buyers and sellers is close.
“If you buy something at Walmart, you have no idea who made it,” she said.
“When you buy a gift at the craft fair, you see the face behind the creation, and if you have any questions or problems, you know where to find them.”
Grew from a ‘dare’
Heineman said the fair grew from a “dare” that emerged when she was a member of the Chimacum Parent Teachers Association during a discussion about possible fundraisers.
“I was told that we couldn’t have a crafts fair in Chimacum,” she said.
“But they had a crafts fair in North Kitsap County, so I said why not here?”
The fair has grown steadily from a handful of 25 vendors in the multipurpose building into what it is today, a two-day extravaganza and a major annual social event.
“When we first started out, we had to put up a divider so the vendors would not be lost in the room,” Heineman said.
“This year, we are in several separate rooms, with something different going on in each one.”
Food vendors and entertainment also are planned.
“No matter when you get here, there will be something going on,” Heineman said
Entertainment
Local harpist David Michael will perform both days on an irregular schedule.
On Saturday, the Chimacum High School Choir will wander through the fair singing carols, while Sunday will feature continuous performances by a rotating cast of the Port Townsend High School Orchestra.
The fair’s artist in residence is Cindy Mangutz, who created the 2010 poster.
For more information, see http://chimacumarts.com/ or phone Heineman at 360-732-4015, Carol West at 360-385-2892 or Cammy Brown at 360-301-2590.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
