The 26th annual Homespun Craft Show and Sale attracted more than 70 vendors on Sept. 15 and 16. The weather drew in hundreds of visitors Saturday, as the surprise sunshine kept the out of town guests in Carlyle for a longer period of time. The 2012 exhibition and shopping bazaar saw exhibitors coming from all across the province and also from Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. Of course the parking was scarce around the main event as per usual. With cars searching the whole town for a place to abandon their vehicles for the exciting day.The fun at the arena started with the homemade food selection. The cafeteria style lunch bar was run by Minor Hockey volunteers and served many hungry guests throughout the two days. Coming into the main arena, eyes immediately focused in on the Pratt Bratz booth. The realistic unique porcelain dolls attracted many with their emotion filled expressions. Each doll is handcrafted with reproduction molds from famous doll artists and dressed in hand-sewn clothes by owner Barb Pratt. Countless hours are spent to create and capture their unique personalities. These are not your every day children dolls, some even frightening to children due to their human appearance. The collectables mainly attracted a mature crowd. For readers who missed out on the event and are interested in a homecrafted keepsake, Pratt Bratz hails from Bengough, SK.Although the local business' weren't showing off their goods in the main arena, many held sidewalk sale style demonstrations of their own. One local attraction that did remain present in the arena were the organizers of the Dicken's Festival. The troupe displayed a living room set at the entrance and could be seen throughout the building in full costume.Continuing to explore the show, there were people handcrafting signs, unusual beauty products, woodworking to meet everyone's needs, artists and much more.The event has never failed to impress for 26 years, and this year was no exception. The favourite amongst many comes in the form of fudge and other sweets in the Homespun pantry room. The Chocolate Moose Fudge Factory from Moose Jaw, SK has people discussing their mouth-watering fudge flavours for months in advance. Several visitors bought bricks of fudge creations to store in their freezers for the months to come.If this excitement wasn't enough, organizers also put together the 10th annual Quilt Show at Memorial Hall. The quilting exhibition was being held throughout the same hours as the Homespun main event and featured 80 quilts this year. The stunning hand quilted blankets and table runners were displayed on the walls making Memorial Hall the most fashionable it has been all year. Lauren Hume, a Homespun committee member helped greet guests and assure they were given enough information to cast their votes for their favourite demonstrator. Quilters from all over Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta put their prized creations on the walls for all to see.Across the highway, Merit Ford held the 5th annual Show and Shine featuring classic cars from around the west. This show is the last Show and Shine of the year for Carlyle, and brought out an abundance of cars which had never been seen by the residents. The colours at this show were nearly as diverse as the rainbow of quilt colours at Memorial Hall. The sun stayed out all day, and made it easier for car enthusiasts to spend hours in the parking lot educating each other on their motors and paint, while the less experienced guests just enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. One again the Saskatchewan Tourism Award of Excellence winner impressed its guests and made the town proud. The "biggest little craft show in Saskatchewan" will continue for years to come and please generation after generation. This is one hobby that is not going out of style. All and all it was great weekend filled with happiness and empty wallets.
