Christmas is a time for love, according to children’s TV, a time for murder, according to schlocky horror movies, and a time for giving Walmart all of your money, according to them. Kenny G’s Christmas-themed soporifics travel the airwaves, numbing drivers into sleepy hazards.
Store employees proudly pat themselves on the back for their clever plot of setting up decorations two days after Halloween. “A Wonderful Life” is stuck on repeat on every channel everywhere. Kids circle everything in the Wish Book. Stores throw sale after sale trying to draw in as much profit as possible, and most of all, a whole bunch of people dress up as Santa. Regardless of all the Saturday sales and corporate Kris Kringles in more populated areas, in Nakusp it means something else as well: it means it’s time for the Nakusp Festival of Lights once again.
The Festival is a big event for Nakusp, and so is the craft fair that took place in the arena. As craft fairs go, it was pretty impressive. The parking lot was unusually filled with cars.
Inside, it was the same story. People bustled from one end to the other, stopping to admire displays or sipping drinks from the concession. Tables and chairs set down near the staged filled quickly with browsers looking for a place to recline. The displays themselves ranged from the unassuming to the impressive, the latter category including those such as Margie Bos’s painted woodwork, and Barbara Thielen’s jewelry.
Circling around the arena floor, it was possible to find out new things about your fellow residents. It may not be a surprise to longtime residents, but I had no idea that my substitute science teacher made stained glass. One point to you, Mrs. Jones. Of course, the more edible class of homemade concoctions was present as well; notably, Faye of Gramma Faye’s chocolates presided over an impressive array of sweets. Maybe her and Jennifer should have a chocolate-off? Marylin McCurry had some yummy looking baked goods at her table too. Not to discount PALS themselves, the sponsors of the event, who had a table staffed by the friendly Linda Kendall. The craft fair is one of those things that seems to be left behind by time; you won’t find any ipads or HDTVs, but you will find some great craftsmanship and a lot of cool stuff.
To create something is to put your personality into something unique, and that’s why a craft fair is perfect for a town like Nakusp. In a bigger city, there would be so many tables that not everyone would get more than a passing glance; heck, in a bigger city, most people would just pop downtown for a new laptop or movie. In Nakusp, where everyone knows each other, and everyone has nothing to do for the majority of their day, a craft fair allows people to showcase their creativity and be an individual. From baubles to baked goods, from gemstones to gorgeous views and beyond, the craft fair was a worthwhile attendance. Judging by the amount of people present, it seems most agree.