On Saturday, Nov. 30, and Sunday, Dec. 1, the annual Christmas Craft Show takes place in the gymnasium and field house of Marmion Academy in Aurora, IL.
According to Marmion Academy, “This year’s show will feature nearly 300 crafters and vendors in a 48,000+ square foot shopping area.”
Vendors at the show sold many crafts of different kinds. Some items sold included jewelry paintings, clothing, food products and more unique crafts. The different vendors lined up one by one inside the academy, talking with customers and making sales.
“All the parts are made by me,” said crafter Lorretta Mole. “I specialize in hand-knotted pearls and wire-wrapped semi-precious stones and fossils. I’ve been doing it for 12 years.”
Inside the building, a crowd of people walked around and browsed the craft show’s variety of vendors. The show is very popular among residents each year, as well as the crafters themselves. Some crafters travel from far away to sell their products at the show.
According to Festival Net, “Crafters from all over the Fox Valley area and surrounding states love this ever-popular Craft Show. With over 4,200 patrons attending the show on Thanksgiving weekend, visiting the show has become a family tradition.”
The craft show is a juried event. Vendors audition for a spot in the show to sell their crafts and other items. Wood burning vendor Steven Taskey explains how the process works for crafters hoping to sell their products in the show during the Christmas season.
“It’s a juried show,” Taskey said. “That means that you have to send in photos of all your products, and they kind of grade it and say, ‘Yes, we would like to have you there. You would be a good fit.’”
At the event, food and drinks were provided to shoppers at the end of the hall. The food was available all weekend and provided by Belgio’s Catering, while the bar was only open on Sunday.
“Make a day of it – enjoy lunch prepared by Belgio’s Catering. A Bloody Mary & Mimosa Bar will be available on Sunday only for those 21 and older,” according to Marmion Academy’s website.
