“Our last two prizes were a portable CD player and a DVD player,” Wayne said. “We had a wonderful turnout this year. I hope everybody enjoyed the day.”
All those that filled Vibrant Life’s Refuge round tables also had an opportunity for an up close and personal picture snapshot with Santa. Some however chose to take a walk down the street for a Country Charm craft time.
“This is our free ornament painting,” said store owner Renee Weston. “This is a great way to introduce kids to ceramics.”
Plus, it’s about the kids at this time of year, she says.
“I hope this event enhanced their day,” Weston said. “They chose from a wide variety of slab rolled ornaments including stars, castles, trees, snowmen, football helmets for the boys, ginger bread men and much more.”
This 25th annual event also covered the interests of the older demographic. As usual, adults poked their head inside the community building for the Crafts in the Country.
“From noon to 4, a variety of vendors come in with either homemade or crafted items,” said event organizer Joni Groth. “This year, we had Daisy Blue Naturals, Scentsy, wood crafts, handcrafted chocolates and many more.”
“We had a few businesses that joined us this year, the liquor store and the pizza place,” said Groth’s daughter, Allison Muilenberg, who also helped out. “This past Sunday was actually the first Sunday the liquor store was open for business.”
Last but not least, St. Aidan’s Catholic Church invited the public inside their walls for some soups and bars from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. A freewill offering was taken.
“It’s very exciting to see it going on this long,” said Muilenberg. “Next year, we are shooting for a Saturday. We will try and have a horse-drawn carriage again and host some home tours in Ellendale too. I look forward to it continuing because this event has been around since I was a little kid.”
“This event is always so fun and I always get good compliments,” said Groth. “As long as everyone continues to appreciate it, I will keep on doing it.”