Fox Valley Arts and Crafts

Oct. 17

36th annual craft fair: St. Paul's United Church of Christ in Crystal Lake is looking for crafters for its 36th annual craft fair, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17. Anyone interested in participating can call the church at (815) 459-5096 or visit www.stpaulsucccl.org for an application.

Nov. 7

Holiday in the Halls: Crafters wanted for the St. Thomas More School annual craft fair and bake sale, "Holiday in the Halls" from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7. The event will be held at the school, 1625 W. Highland Ave., Elgin. There will be more than 80 booths. For booth information, contact Laura Przybylski at (847) 888-4363.

Nov. 21

Holiday Craft Fair: Calling all crafters. Marklund's 2009 Holiday Craft Fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Marklund Hyde Center, 1 S. 450 Wyatt Drive, Geneva. All types of crafters are welcome to apply for booth space and to join the fun. There will be many crafters selling their handmade items as well as unique gifts. The Holiday Craft Fair also welcomes cosmetics and food vendors. In addition, there will be a Marklund booth featuring items handcrafted by Marklund's developmental training clients.

From the Web site www.buyhandmade.org: "The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, he or she feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing."

"We already have several crafters on board," said Vicki Krystof, communications manager at Marklund, "Our craft fairs are something to behold. Every craft fair we hold is better and more popular than the one before it."

A 6-ft. by 8-ft. space is available for $35. A table and electricity each cost $5 extra. Setup times are 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 and from 7 to 9 a.m. the day of the craft fair. Also, crafters agree to donate one item valued at $5 or more to Marklund for a raffle to be held during the Holiday Craft Fair.

Space is limited; crafters and vendors are encouraged to reserve their spots without delay. For information, call Peggy Szarzynski at (630) 593-5475 or pszarzynski@marklund.org.

Nov. 28-29

Christmas Craft Show: Marmion Academy's two-day Christmas Craft Show will be on Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29 at Marmion Academy, 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. For information, contact the Alumni Office at (630) 897-6936, ext. 228 or visit www.marmion.org/alumni/alumni.html. Last year's show featured 158 crafters and drew over 3,400 paying customers.

Dec. 12

Holiday craft fair: Crafters can sign up for the Fremd High School's Holiday Craft Fair, which will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. The show has over 180 crafters that feature a variety of high quality items. You will find handmade items, jewelry, seasonal decor, gourmet foods and more. Admission and parking is free. The high school concessions stand will be open for snacks, beverages and lunch. The show is organized by our Fremd Boosters Club. All proceeds go to benefit the student organizations and athletic teams at the school. For details, call (847) 622-4406 or fremdcraftfair@gmail.com.