Arts Council hosts annual Holiday Craft Sale
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The Access Event Centre in Morden was a sea of arts and crafts as the 2019 Holiday Craft Sale took place, Nov. 2.
Hosted by the Pembina Hills Arts Council, the event is a long-standing tradition in the community, one that attracts both vendors and shoppers from far outside Morden.
“It’s one of our main fundraising events that we do every year,” board member Cathy Lone said. “We started last year having a $2 admission to help with our kids programming because we try to keep it affordable.”
Every penny from that $2 charge goes to children’s programming.
And while the arts council receives grants from different levels of government, raising extra funds is important.
“Fundraising is a big part of keeping the day to day (operations) of the arts council,” Lone said.
While it’s a tradition for the arts council, it’s also an important event to many of those who attend, as well as vendors who come back year after year.
“We have lots of people that come every year,” she said. “People come back knowing they’re going to see certain people they know they want to purchase their merchandise from every year.”
Vendors are also lining up for the annual event.
“Every year we have a waiting list of people who want to come so we’re happy that’s still going, that it’s still a current event that people want to be involved in, and still want to come and shop at,” she said.
As in past years, 80 vendors were eager to show their hand crafted items to potential customers getting the jump on Christmas shopping.
Last year was the first organizers had a customer count, thanks to the admission charge, and Lone said they were pleased to see around 1,100 people come through the doors for the six hour sale.
“You see people coming all the time but we were, I think, all very surprised that there was that many people,” she said.
Lone added they appreciate the volunteers, shoppers and vendors for offering continued support.
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