On Friday, November 22, and Saturday, November 23, Golden will be hosting its annual craft fair. The fair will be held at the Mount 7 Rec Plex.
Dating back almost 25 years, it’s a tradition that marks the beginning of the Christmas season. No one is sure quite how far back this tradition goes, or how it was started, but every year the craft fair is one of the communities most treasured events.
“If you’re there Friday at noon, you’ll see tons of people lining up and going through, and they’ll come back multiple times,” said Bill Usher, director of Kicking Horse Culture. “It becomes a real social event. People come and hang out and they walk through and talk with the vendors.”
This year’s craft fair boasts over 60 artisans, coming from all corners of the Columbia Basin, from Nelson to Revelstoke and everywhere in between.
Many of the fan favourites will be back this year, with several new vendors on the list as well.
For many people, the craft fair is a perfect place to pick out a Christmas gift.
Everything at the fair is handmade and crafted, and with vendors coming from far and wide, each gift is unique and special.
“If there are people in your life that you want to give gifts to, you’re going to see stuff there,” said Usher. “You’re going to have a lot of fun, just because you’re walking around and talking.”
The fair isn’t just about purchasing and exchanging goods; there’s also an exchange of knowledge that’s inherent with the event.
“There are just so many opportunities to talk to people about how they did it,” said Usher. “So there’s that sharing and exchange of how people created the work that they’re selling.”
With so many artisans in one place, it’s comparable to going to a mall in the city, with so many booths all in a row. And with so many artisans, there’s a wide array of products for sale. From jewelry to pottery to woolens to vodka, there’s sure to be something for everyone’s interests.
The fair opens at noon on Friday, and closes at 8 p.m. Saturday the fair will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. There will be food and coffee in the foyer as well.