By Kelly Helton, Contributor
When Susan Ancil started the Holiday Arts and Crafts Fest last year, she envisioned an event that could promote local vendors in Marion while also providing a service to the community. Now the festival is back Nov. 3 at the Lightrider Gray Barn.
According to Ancil, the idea was developed from a previous event she'd been involved in.
"I like to do craft shows in the fall," Ancil said. "I had done one in the town of Fairmount …, (and) I thought that Upland needed something like this. We had not had a holiday craft show for years."
With the help of the SEG-way News, Ancil was able to find vendors and promote the event. From start to finish, the entire event was conceived and put together in less than a month.
The festival will begin at 9 a.m. at the Lightrider Gray Barn, located at 68 S. Second St. Many small items will be for sale, and most items are handmade. Among the items sold will be handbags, jewelry, greeting cards and herbal products. Lindsay Crawford of Upland is one of the vendors selling wares.
"It's a great community event," Crawford said. "Pretty much everybody can get a head start on their Christmas shopping lists."
Although Crawford is an Upland native, a few of the vendors aren't. According to Ancil, only three or four of the 24 vendors represented at the festival aren't from Upland.
"We have a nice mix of products," Ancil said. "Any of these things can be used for gifts. The response from the community was just excellent last year, and that's what I'm hoping for this year."
Many of the vendors present will have business cards available, hopefully increasing the opportunity to get more future business. Ancil says this focus on promoting local business is central to the event.
Also included in the day's festivities are the Lightrider Coffee Bar, which serves hot drinks all day, and a light lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Debby Manganello, who is a part of the Lightrider ministry, will have an information table for the Gray Barn to introduce attendees of the Arts and Crafts Fest to the ministry.
After seeing the support of the Upland community for the vendors last year, Ancil hopes for an equal, if not larger turnout.
"If you don't go, you'll miss something special," she said.
