MARC to host annual Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair on Dec. 5.
by Jeff Richards
contributing writer
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The 2009 Moab Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center, 111 East 100 North, Moab.

At least 45 vendors are expected to participate, said MARC Director Bayley Rogers.

“We’ve got them in the upstairs rooms, the lobby, and in the smaller downstairs rooms as well.” she said. “Almost every available space is full, and we’ll have some things going on outside.”

Camel rides, for instance. Following last year’s successful appearance, Lily the camel will be back again this year to offer rides to children of all ages (a fee is charged). Lily is from All’s Welcome, a non-profit exotic animal rescue operation operated out of Loma, Colo.

Another group that will be setting up shop outside the MARC during the fair is the Moab Humane Society, which will be conducing an adopt-a-puppy event.

Inside the building, kids can hop up onto the lap of Santa Claus and tell him their Christmas wish lists. Action Shots will be taking pictures of the children with Santa.

Also inside, various vendors will be selling hand-made gift items, including goods such as candles, soaps, baskets, paintings, photographs, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, jewelry, glasswork, woodwork, and food items.

“The one requirement we have is that everything has to be hand-crafted,” said Rogers.

Katy and Scott Anderson from Moab’s Triassic Industries will be selling various items made from wood or stone. The Andersons specialize in making exotic-looking bowls, utensils, lamps, furniture, sculptures, and jewelry from natural materials.

One newcomer to the MARC holiday fair will be Melinda Brimhall, who is the new administrator for the Grand County Council. Brimhall, who has been making custom necklaces, bracelets, and other jewelry for the past 13 years, describes her own beaded creations as “beauty and whimsy packaged on a string.”

Sisters Rosie Boone and Cathy O’Connor, fiber artisans who run Desert Thread shop in Moab, will be selling their hand-made yarns, along with a variety of knitted and crocheted gift items.

Ceramics specialist Suzan Woodward, who was born and raised in Moab and recently moved back here from Arizona, will be selling her custom-made pottery pieces, including cups, bowls, and teapots.

Local jewelry maker Saina will be selling a wide variety of Christmas-themed earrings, along with bracelets, earrings, zipper pulls, eyeglass holders, and other commemorative items for cancer survivors and their loved ones. “The nice thing about jewelry is that it always fits,” said Saina.

Castle Valley Creamery will be one of the food vendors at the fair. Genuine Navajo tacos will also be available. The Youth Garden Project will also have a booth.

In addition, Red Rock Elementary School’s PTA will be holding a bake sale to raise money to help maintain funding for the school’s popular art coach, Bruce Hucko.

A Christmas tree auction to benefit the MARC and its programs will also be conducted. The auctioned trees (decorated and donated by local businesses) are scheduled to be on display at the MARC from Dec. 5 through 12.

The MARC fair will be running at nearly the same time as a similar event on the other side of town: the Gift Fair at the Grand Center (82 North 500 West) runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. Organizers say they are hoping that many folks will attend both events.

Although the MARC fair will only take place on Saturday, the Grand Center’s Gift Fair will also run for four hours the night before (from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 4).

Many of Moab’s downtown merchants will also be having sidewalk sales throughout the day Saturday, in an effort to entice shoppers to spend their Christmas money locally.

Later that afternoon, after the gift fair events wind to a close, the sun will disappear and the stage will be set for some electric excitement.

Beginning at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, around three dozen floats and other vehicles festooned with Christmas lights will begin lining up around Swanny City Park in preparation for the annual Electric Light Parade, which will start around 6 p.m. at the park. Hundreds of onlookers are expected to line both sides of Main Street to watch the parade, which will end behind City Market.

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