Holiday shoppers gear up for another 'bazaar' season

PALMER — Perhaps the three little kittens should look at the Alaska State Fairgrounds, because that’s where Jo Ann Chenoweth found a killer pair of mittens Saturday.

“We came shopping for presents, and so far all we’ve gotten is stuff for ourselves,” said Chenoweth, one of hundreds of bargain hunters and shoppers to pack into Raven Hall for the annual state fair holiday bazaar. What really excited Chenoweth was a pair of gray, handmade mittens.

“I have, like, really cold hands and these are warm and beautiful,” she said. “We also got this keyholder and some mugs.”

Chenoweth and her husband came to the craft show to shop for some holiday gifts, mainly for her parents.

“They’re in their 80s and we always pick up something crafty for them,” she said. “Craft shows are great for that. They just love it.”

She said she also was impressed by the jars of handmade jellies and jams. She prefers shopping for unique, one-of-a-kind gifts that are uniquely Alaskan.

“I like that all this stuff is handmade, their smaller vendors and we love buying stuff that says ‘made in Wasilla’ or ‘made in Alaska’ and sending it Outside,” she said.

Along with handcrafted wooden toys, food items, quilts, jewelry, custom pet portraits, doo-dads, knickknacks and the occasional thingamabob, craft sales are a favorite way for many to shop for family and friends.

That’s what Palmer residents Connie and Bill Hogan were doing Saturday (although Bill admitted he probably wouldn’t have gone if he wasn’t with Connie).

“We are having a great time. I have a good friend who has a booth here, so I came to see her stuff. I’m really impressed with how crafty some people are. I like to see how clever people are, like this,” she said, pointing to a stained glass and porcelain angel. “I’ve never seen anything like this before. This is just amazing. They’re stained glass angels made out of pieces of porcelain plates.”

The compliment brought a smile to the face of Lydia Lance, who makes the angels. For her, crafting is more than a way to earn some money, it’s a passion shared by her whole family. Sitting next to her is husband, Lucas, who’s selling his handmade knives, and 4-year-old son, Owen Scott, who makes buttons.

In fact, Lydia admitted that, so far, his wood buttons have outsold her angels.

“See them?” exclaimed an excited Owen Scott, a gregarious salesman who’s not shy to hawk his wares. “My grandpas cut the branch and I polish them and sand them lots. Three different sandpapers. I sanded my fingers off. They’re cool.”

He uses a variety of wood to make his custom buttons.

“I use oak and some birches, walnut, mulberry, red oak,” he said. “What’s this kind, mom?”

At the end of the table, Lucas has an impressive display of his custom knives. He designs and grinds all his own blades and makes the handles.

“I start with bar steel and grind them out,” he said. “They’re my own designs, my own everything. My dad started in ’81 and I was just a kid, so I’ve been doing it for 20-some-odd years. I like design, the lines and flow and all that.”

One of the most striking pieces of a hunting knife with a unique coloring burned into the blade. The stainless steel changes color with heat, Lucas said, getting a finish called “stale.”

But it doesn’t always come out looking unique.

“Only about one in 1,000 knives will come out looking like that,” he said.

It’s unique items like what the Lance family brings that make craft fairs so tempting, said Bill Ryder. Ryder, of Wasilla, owns Midnite Sun Crafts and Gifts and has been selling his custom-made diamond willow lamps, candleholders and vases for about 17 years. One of the challenges as a vendor is to not get carried away buying everything else at the show.

“There’s a lot of good stuff in this place,” he said. “I’m not as bad as I used to be. When we first started, we’d go into a show and we’d probably spend twice as much as we’d make.”

Ryder’s wife, Pat, sits in the next booth selling her handmade sewing crafts. Bill prefers to work with the willow.

“That one there?” he said pointing out a twisted and burled willow lamp. “I think I probably got about 80 hours (of work) into it.”

While he’s been retired for 11 years and doesn’t depend on the income he makes from selling his creations, Bill said he needs to work with the wood to keep his mind and hands occupied.

“If I needed this for a living, I’d go to work for Walmart or something like that, but this is what’s keeping me living. Activity after retiring is what costs most people their lives after they retire.”

The Alaska State Fair Holiday Bazaar continues at Raven Hall today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a $1 admission, which includes a chance to win door prizes.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.