By Trevor Greenway
If there is one thing Pamela Falkner wants you to do this holiday season, it’s to forget about Amazon.
Skip the mass-produced plastic toys, the gimmicky gadgets and the cheaply-made gifts, and instead get your loved one something truly unique, something handmade, something local.
You’ll have lots of time to browse for such goods at the Des Collines Health Foundation Craft Fair this year, as more than 70 artisans will be setting up inside the Meredith Centre Nov. 4-5 to sell their wares.
The Craft Fair is usually held at Vorlage, but it’s being moved to Chelsea this year because the Meredith Centre is more accessible, as it has elevators.
Falkner said that this year’s list of artisans has been “curated” to ensure the goods being sold are local, handmade or by artists who are “transforming” something.
“So we took applications in, and then had a committee curate to focus on local craft people either handmade or transforming,” said Falkner, director at the Foundation. “Not somebody that was just reselling goods.”
And there will be tons of these local crafts to browse — everything from local art courtesy of artists Jane Macmillan and Celine Moriset to handmade gifts from Mud Pies Pottery, Zola Handmade Goods, including toques from Knots & Purls and much more.
“When you look at the breadth of talent around here, it’s incredible,” added Falkner. “Traditional art potteries, clothing, leather goods, lots of food people. There’s skincare products, candles and all sorts of things.”
The Craft Fair is one of the premiere fundraising events for the Des Collines Health Foundation, and organizers would like to bring in $20,000 from this year’s event. Falkner said the Craft Fair average is usually around $18,000, but they’re hoping to push it over the top. The Foundation is a non-profit health organization located in the Gatineau Hills region, which fundraises for healthcare.
This year’s money will go towards purchasing automated chairs, a bladder ultrasound machine, a chair lift and television sets for patients in the short-term care unit at the Wakefield Hospital, among other items.
Falkner said she and her fellow volunteers at the Foundation have been “blown away” by the support they’ve received from the community this year — both from shoppers and volunteers looking to help out. Through such events as the Masquerade Ball, the curling bonspiel, golf tournament and garden party, the Foundation has brought in an impressive $36,700. These past events have helped the Foundation purchase things like a Bladder Scan for the CHSLD (resident and long-term care centres), bariatric beds (heavy-duty beds, typically wider than standard hospital beds), sit-to-stand aids and hydraulic and shower chairs for the region’s long-term and palliative care homes.
The Craft Fair takes over the Meredith Centre on Nov. 4 and 5, both days beginning at 10 a.m. On Saturday, the fair runs until 4 p.m. and on Sunday, it runs until 3 p.m. For more information or to browse the list of vendors, check the Des Collines Health Foundation website.