Sara Stadem | Editor
The Hartford Women of Today (HWOT) held their 32nd Annual Fall Craft Fair on Saturday, October 23, with approximately 300 people stopping in and 59 venders, according to HWOT member Jean Wehrkamp.
“It was a great success. We did not have one last year so it was nice to have one this year,” Wehrkamp said. “So, I think people were ready to have one, to get out and look and do some Christmas shopping.”
Wehrkamp explained out of the 59 venders, they had some direct sales people such as Pampered Chef and Tastefully Simple and in addition to those venders, there were also many nicely handmade items such as wooden decor, hand-made jewelry, homemade outdoor games and more. “So, it was a really nice variety with our venders,” Wehrkamp said.
The venders were asked to supply a door prize item, according to Wehrkamp, which means there were 59 items to give away which were announced every half hour. “We had a nice selection of door prize items and that kept people interested and they were pleased with the selection of items,” Wehrkamp said.
Each year, the HWOT has a youth group help with the lunch, Wehrkamp explained. This year, the West Central After Prom Committee was in charge of the lunch. “They did a wonderful job; four different soups, BBQs and desserts. That was very well done and very well attended. They did a great job,” Wehrkamp said.
Wehrkamp also explained that the craft fair is free for attendance which she believes people like now in this day and age and the HWOT provide their venders with free extras such as a coupon for coffee and rolls in the morning.
“This is something that the HWOT does to be about the community. We do a lot of things for the community and this is one that has been ongoing,” Wehrkamp explained. She concluded, “The venders pay a small fee to have a spot and we reinvest that into the community. We give a lot of funds to the youth such as scholarship programs. So, it’s just a nice community service that we like to do and I think people were in the mood to get out and go to a craft fair.”
Craft Fair Winners
Winners of door prizes at the Hartford Fall Craft Fair sponsored by the Hartford Women of Today were: Verna Dunkelberger, Michael Clark, Marcene Siemonsma, Jean Ordal, Jac Stegeman, Gerry Bossman, Wendy Ketchum, Sara Kuchta, Angela Nielsen, Sharla Fedeler, Abby Nielsen, Tracy Edberg, Brenda Jensen, Ann Gooley, Cindy Pirrung, Leah Johnson, Amylee Hyatt, Suzi Johnson, Peggy Wubben, Dale Tucker, Michelle Tucker, Katie Swenson, Rachel Lorang, Lois Kaiser, Alyse Reilly, Mary Lou Lusch, Jenae Klein, Joy Hohn, Teresa Kohrs, Kristin Hargreaves, Ronae Foster, Julie Person, Grayson Swenson, Helen Beckman, Sara Ennis, Clara Nelson, Julie Healy, Janell Healy, Janelle Shanks, Hope Smith, Mindy Frerichs, Caden Gates, Becky Frerichs, Teri Koopman, and Nikkie Steffenson.
Congratulations to the winners!