Another sure sign of the Christmas season rolling around is the upcoming Hometown Christmas Market at the Humboldt Legion Hall. The event is a shoppers’ staple with the best in local crafts and artistry from creators in and around Humboldt. The event is on November 23 and 24.
The Market serves as a major fundraiser for the Legion and is important to ensure the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the facility.
Niki Sokolan with the Royal Canadian Legion is a key organizer. The Market will be open additional hours this year, she says.
“For this year’s event, we are actually adding an evening market. We are always coming up with new and creative ways to make the market more successful – for us, for the Legion, and for the people who are shopping there.”
The added hours give people the flexibility to drop down on Saturday evening from 6 – 8 pm or spend a longer time on Sunday from 10 am – 3 pm.
Santa will also make his return for visits with the kids on Sunday from 10 to 3, and the canteen will be open through both days. Lunch will be served on Sunday only, consisting of smokies, macaroni salad and a drink. The Legion’s Ladies Auxiliary will be on hand with their plentiful supply of baked goods.
As for the vendors at this year’s show, the merchants are restricted to presenting homecraft goods and produce. It’s one of the things that sets the event apart, says Sokolan.
“The biggest thing with us and the Hometown Christmas is that we really wanted to give it a craft show or artisan feel. So, all the things you see there are handmade crafts. There aren’t going to be any home based reseller businesses. We felt there was a lack of an arts and craft feel, so that’s what we wanted to bring back with the Hometown Market.”
Among the many works will be wood crafting and carving, pottery, laser engraving, children’s wares, knit and crochet items, and much more. The kids’ area will feature colouring and other activities to be included with Veteran trays that are handed out for Christmas.
The variety and the quality of the artistry is bound to make this year’s Hometown Christmas Market a surefire hit the weekend of November 23 and 24.