Village Squire, 1973-09, Page 8Colborne Christmas Country Fair
The Biggest
Tiny Fair
Anywh ere
Tim St. Louis of Raintree
one of the wall plaques he will
Gallery in Clinton shows display at The Fair.
8 VILLAGE SQUIRE/SEPTEMBER 1973
For 363 days of the year the old
Colborne township hall at Carlow on
Huron County Highway 25 between
Goderich and Blyth rests in peace.
But for two days next month, its
patience and its capacity will be
pressed to the limits.
The annual Colborne Township
Christmas Country Fair is just around
the corner again. On October 17
and again on the 20th local craftsmen
will gather in the township hall to
present the eighth annual show and
sale. And thousands of people will
gather too.
Since the show was started by
Evelyn Hardy, wife of the township
clerk, and four other local ladies it
has grown strongly into one of the
biggest tourist attractions in the area.
Admission is free so that people can
save their money to buy.
The show grew out of a display by
the five ladies at the Art Mart in
Goderich. They decided to put on
a show of their own and lace Topsy,
"it just growed".
Special bus trips are made every
year from Michigan, Sarnia, London
and other area cities. The fair boasts
"a craft for every taste and every
pocket".
Three objectives are listed for
the event: 1, to promote local
crafts as the true souvenir of the
area; 2, to promote craftsmenship
and increase the public's under-
standing of hand -made items; and
3, craftsmen are making a contri-
bution to ow culture and they
should be encouraged.
So next month you'll be able
to see hand -knitted items, wooden
products hand -turned on a lathe,
hand-woven items, quilts, rugs,
pottery, toys, candles, leather
work, blind crafts and so many
things it would be impossible to
name them all.
Featured displays will be by
James Burns of Tupperville who
will show jewel boxes made from
goose and hen eggs; Sheila Gunby
of Dungannon who will show her
pottery and Tim St. Louis of The
Raintree Gallery in Clinton who
will show artistic crafts such as
wall plaques.
And as every year, thousands will
file their way through the township
hall before it can go back to the
peace and quiet for another year.