By Jennifer Boenig
Maine crafters filled the gym and lined the hallways of the Poland Community School on Saturday, Nov. 15 for the 26th annual Poland Parent-Teacher Association holiday craft fair.
Mary Wallace, a member of the PTA, said the craft fair is one of their main fundraisers every year. “It’s one of our biggest ones. It’s all Maine crafts. This one has to be all Maine-made things,” said Wallace. The Maine-made tradition is as old as the annual event and Wallace said the crafters like it that way and want it to continue being a Maine event. This year, the PTA covers kindergarten through eighth grade. Michelle Pinkham, also a PTA member, said when the seventh and eighth grade classes moved to the Bruce M. Whittier Middle school, the PTA became less involved with the middle school classes
During the past year, Pinkham said the PTA members decided the middle school students needed their support and the PTA now covers both the middle school and elementary school. The PTA raises about $10,000 annually and gives each class about $400 to spend on student enrichment events, such as class trips. Teachers also receive a $75 gift certificate to help buy additional classroom supplies.
Georgie’s Goodies is a familiar stop for many craft fair attendees. Georgie McArthur has been selling her homemade jams and jellies at the fair for more than ten years. McArthur makes pies, whoopie pies, fudge, cookies, bread, cheesecake, jams, jellies and marmalades at her home-
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based business in Poland. McArthur makes everything from scratch and even takes special requests. She said she keeps coming back to the craft fair because it’s a local event.
“It’s local and I like to support my local community and it’s a good fair. There’s always a lot of people here,” said McArthur.
A new face at this year’s fair was Michelle Page. Page recently moved her business, My Country Shed, from Norway to Oxford and she was hoping to drum up some new business for her store on Pigeon Hill Road. Page had several hand painted wood decorations, wreaths, and other holiday items for sale at her table. “I’ve been doing this my whole life basically. It’s just what I do. I come up with the ideas and do it all by myself,” said Page.
Negotiating her way through the rows and rows of tables was Louise Hackett. Hackett lives in New Hampshire and visits her sister who lives in South Paris every November. She said she comes to the craft fair every year if she’s in town for it. “Ever since coming the first time, there’s a lady who makes aprons and fancy kitchen towels that I stop and see. It’s a very nice fair, nice quality,” said Hackett, who grew up in Hebron.
The Poland PTA members are already planning ahead for their next fair, the MidKnight Market vendor fair scheduled to be held in March at the middle school.
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Michelle Page, with daughter Kristen Madden, from My Country Shed in Oxford, attended the Poland PTA holiday craft fair on Saturday, Nov. 15 for the first time. Page moved her business from Norway to Oxford and was hoping to attract tri-town residents to her store, which is filled with hand painted wood decorations, wreaths and floral arrangements. Jennifer Boenig photo |
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