The Arcola Craft and Trade Show was held Saturday, Sept. 21 in the Prairie Place Complex in the Town of Arcola. Approximately 1,311 people attended this year鈥檚 event.
Upon arriving, one finds parking at a premium, the lot is overflowing. Inside it is a beehive of activity.
Gwen Taylor is the manager of the event, as well as one of the vendors.
She says there were 73 vendors set up for the day. They hailed from two provinces, including the communities of Arcola, Elkhorn, Swift Current, Esterhazy, and Gull Lake ,to name a few.
There is something of interest for everyone attending this event. For the kids 鈥淪kye and Marshall鈥� are roaming the venue as the Paw Patrol. The candy floss sold very well! There are crafts of all kinds, clothing, personal care products, household furnishings and decorations, as well as numerous food venders selling everything from apple butter to pumpkins.
There is a group of young musicians raising money for a trip to Scotland.
Let鈥檚 meet some of the vendors:
鈥淭he Other Side Series鈥�;
Marie Donais Calder from Alida is the author of this book series.
She writes of her father鈥檚 life at the end of WW II. He was stationed in England at the end of the war and was then sent to Germany as a member of the 鈥淩oyal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers鈥�.
They were tasked in the rebuilding of Germany. On strict orders 鈥渘ot鈥� to help people in need he disobeyed those orders and saved an entire family from famine. This truly Canadian story would be a very interesting read and a great add to anyone鈥檚 book shelf.
Marlene鈥檚 Stained Glass;
Marlene is here from Langenburg with her husband. This is her second year attending this show and she says she attends several of these shows a year. She makes many decorative pieces including 鈥渟creen bugs鈥� and repurposes old glass canning jar lids. She gets her stained glass supplied from Calgary. She claims she is the oldest vendor and challenged me to find a vendor that is older.
Rada Knives;
Marg Walker is here for her sixth year. She is selling knives made from planes from a decommissioned aircraft maintenance base in Iowa.
The base was sold to a family at the end of WW II with the promise of a renewed contract for service, but was declined by the US government.
The small community saw all the jobs lost, so the people who bought it decided to make potato peelers and paring knives out of the old aircraft metal. They were able to provide jobs again to the entire town.
Wood Made Beautiful;
This is Don and Marion Evans鈥� first ever attendance at a craft and trade show. They have been crafting their wooden bowls, cutting boards and pens for ten years.听
I questioned them on how they liked the experience and Don replied 鈥渞eally enjoying the people鈥� and 鈥渨e are really impressed with the organization.
www.garlic.ca
Kevin and Caroline Puffalt are from Kipling where they grow around 50 different varieties of garlic. They sell the bulbs and seeds, as well they make jelly, powder, and 鈥減ickled garlic scape鈥� which are made from the garlic stems. This is their fifth show and they say they look forward to returning again next year.
Touch of Elegance;
Roberta Johnston is a rep from Regina and is selling home accents made of lace and linen. They are from Laurie Anne鈥檚 Victorian Lace and Linens of Kamloops BC. They are colourful and would look great in any home.
Stitch Collection;
These three ladies are selling handmade doll clothes and accessories.
They are a first time vendor here and they have been going to craft and trade shows for 35 years.
They are very impressed with the organization and set up. They claim it is a busy day, 鈥減eople are buying.鈥�听
Sharon Pillar is from Regina, Sandra Steininger and Kathy Zerr have travelled here from Yorkton. You can follow them on Facebook.
Fancy Alpaca;
This company is owned by Krista Seibel who has her mom, Joan, tending to business today. She is selling clothing that is handmade in Ecuador. They are partnered with 鈥淐ecilia Rivadeneira鈥� foundation. The foundation gives ten percent of profits to support children with cancer in Ecuador.
Cocapa;
Jan Rutten is a first year vendor here and has been crafting her wares for two years. She produces pictures that would look great in any home.
These 鈥渂each glass鈥� creations are made from stones and glass that come from Mexico. She also receives materials garnered from friends coming from Thailand, Florida and Cozumel.
The Arcola Craft and Trade Show is very well attended. It has an international flavour that is representative of the ingenuity of some very creative and thoughtful people. This is a can鈥檛 miss event and should be noted on everyone鈥檚 calendar each fall.
