The annual sale of crafts and products sold by home-based businesses known as Christmas in November was held at the OCC Hall on November 17.
Held as a fundraiser for the Kamsack Playhouse Theatre, this year the sale featured a number of vendors coming to the Kamsack OCC Hall for the first time, featuring a diverse range of products, with many hand-crafted items on display.
The event was a “huge success,” said Brenda Wyllychuk, prime organizer and president of the Kamsack Playhouse Theatre board. “Our vendor number was up from last year, and so was the attendance figure, with people coming from Kamsack, Madge Lake, Togo, Hyas, Calder, Canora, Pelly and, more.
“Our good variety of rainbow auction items, donated by the vendors, created a lot of interest and the auction went very well.”
She also noted that the featured lunch menu which consisted of three homemade soups, sandwiches and homemade treats, “was a hit” with those in attendance.
Darcy Swiderski, a woman who has owned and operated Sunflower Florists in Wadena for 40 years, brought her delightful Christmas creations to the OCC Hall in Kamsack for the first time. Along with her assistant, Yvonne Morris, the women had brought homemade spring rolls for sale. “This is our first time selling spring rolls but we wanted to try something different,” Swiderski said.
Flower House Florist and Garden Design, owned and operated by B.J. and Barb Barton of Kamsack, had a vendor table set up, tended by Denise Wishnevetski-Grozik. “At this time of year, Flower House holds group workshops where interested individuals may come to create their own outdoor Christmas planter, door swag or indoor poinsettia planter. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres are served.” All one need do is contact Flower House Florist for available times.
“The wicker baskets available at Flower House are excellent because they can be utilized for Christmas displays and then double as summer planters,” Wishnevetski-Grozik said.
Anna Thickson of Sturgis operates Granny’s Handmade Products, a line of “all natural products containing no perfumes or chemicals.” Selling soaps, essential oils and deodorants, Thickson was a first time vendor at Christmas in November, having been a crater and selling at other venues for around 25 years.
Former resident Terri Brischuk and her husband Lorne of Yorkton had a table set up under the name of the store which she used to operate in Kamsack, Terri’s Stitch and Craft, specializing in handmade gifts and art. “It’s our first time at the Kamsack show in a number of years,” she said.
Donna Franklin of Burgess Beach, under the name Through the Fire, has been making hand made pottery out of porcelain for around 10 years, and was a returning vendor. “I just love to transform clay into a work of art,” she said. Her display featured an array of “Babushchicks,” hand made, individually named chicks which she enjoys creating.
At her table called I Used to Be, Nancy Weinhandl featured a selection of gifts made from repurposed materials. One such piece was a “daisy crafted out of what was once wooden shims.” Saying she has been crafting and repurposing for many years, this was her third year at Christmas in November.
April Shotts of Danbury, a “returning favorite” vendor under the name Sew Sweet Creations, had home made goodies to delight just about any taste.
Another first time vendor, Shannon Broda Vanin, featured knitting and homemade crafts.
Carol Belley had a display of BeeSeal, an all natural, “proudly made in Canada” product that is 100 per cent organic and is a “multipurpose, multi surface protector, water proofer and restorer.”
Another first time vendor was Sammy Hollenberg of Langenburg, who is known as the “Singing Chef.” Hollenberg is a long-time chef, married to a musician who builds and sells steel guitars to Hawaiians, and she has recorded a number of musical CDs.
Under the name Sammy’s Cottage Kitchen, Hollenberg had been commissioned by Hemp Foods Canada to create and develop recipes containing healthy hemp products such as hemp hearts, hemp oil and avocado oil.
Included at her table, she was selling bags of Heart Smart Hemp Granola, containing such organic ingredients as quinoa flakes, quinoa puffs, flax, chia seed, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds, honey and maple syrup and a variety of nuts and fruits with all natural flavors, including orange and lemon zest, vanilla, maple and coconut.
Local resident Cole Smith has been filming Hollenberg from her home in Langenburg for three seasons of Sammy’sCottage Kitchen, shown on local cable TV.
“The Playhouse board would like to acknowledge the great group of volunteers who help make this event a success,” Wyllychuk said. “The board is grateful for the sponsorship we received from the Kamsack Co-op food store and In Good Taste catering. Without all of them, our event would not have been as successful.”
Anyone wishing more information about the show or vendors, please contact Wyllychuk.
