This year’s Annual Hometown Christmas Festival was held at the Event Center on Friday and Saturday, and was filled with a large assortment of crafts, Christmas gifts, toys, and a lot more.

The Grinch and Santa were on hand for photo opps, and lunch was served on Saturday.   

Children decorated Christmas stockings each day from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., and many also remembered to drop off Christmas Cards to Santa in “The North Pole Mailbox.”  Drawings were be held for a free gift from one of the vendors on site throughout the days of the event.  

Proceeds from the event will be given to local veterans organizations.

The wide range of items which are confirmed to be at the event include: vanilla, handcrafted local artisan items, western designer clothes, goat milk, designer soaps, nails, wood designer items, baby items, kitchen crafts, handcrafted earrings, homemade candy treats, western wreaths, honey, Christmas décor, children’s educational games, native designs, repurposed wool, car fresheners, handmade Christmas cards, freeze dried local fruit, stonecrafted jewelry, hand-crafted T-shirts, and a lot more.

Leila Hoopes

 Leila Hoopes is the event’s organizer.  The event has been in existence in one form or another and held at various locations over the last 15 or so years.  “This has been a great turnout this year!”  Hoopes said.

There were a number of familiar faces inside the Event Center, like Eric and Sadie Crowther, who were demonstrating their handmade wooden Farm Toys, Christine Snow, who makes a number of products from tallow, and Amber Allen, representing the Friends of the Library, among others.   

Eric and Sadie Crowther

Marcia Stocks was also on hand, and will be hosting a Community Christmas dinner on December 25 from 11-2.  Details are being finalized, but if you would like to find out how to help, call Marcia at (208) 840-0020.

The event was a great chance to get an early (for people like me) Christmas shopping experience in, or pick up a last minute gift (for people like Jean Thomas who I went with, and probably buys all her gifts in January for the next year)!  

The event has been held in a number of locations over the years, but the Event Center seems to be a great fit for it, and I’m excited to see what Leila Hoopes has planned for next year!

Amber Allen