Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By ALISSA PIETILA
White Pine — Crafters and shoppers filled many areas of the Konteka Black Bear Resort on Saturday for a craft fair.
Vendors Annette Trail and Theresa Miller said that turnout was pretty good, and displayed a quilt made by the North Country Quilters as well as other raffle items. The quilt is being raffled off with a drawing to be held during Hometown Christmas next weekend in Ontonagon.
A table, manned by Roleane Daniels and Carol Brown, displayed homemade baby items, dish cloths and mittens.
The mittens take “around two to three hours per pair,” said Brown.
They must first shrink the wool, which is called “felting,” said Daniels, before they can sew the fleece lining and wool together. They also create children’s mittens with the attaching string, so young children can’t lose them.
“My daughter-in-law requested it,” said Daniels.
Both women have been attending craft fairs for more than four years and said they really enjoy it.
Wakefield’s Nickole Makela, one of the vendors, liked being at the craft fair since it helps to expand her customer base.
Traci Peloso was there with her daughter selling nail products.
“Sales have been pretty good today,” she said.
Another vendor, Gina Gentiline, said many people learned about her products and business was good for the day.
“I can’t complain,” she said. She also said that it was busiest during the middle of the fair, near the lunch hour.
Sarah Long, of Bergland, vendor, said, “I love it. It’s fun.”
Vendor Laurel Livingston, of Vermontville traveled over 560 miles before taking part in the craft fair.
It worked out well around the holiday, since she was home visiting relatives in Topaz. Her sales at the craft fair were “very good,” she said.
“I’ve always done good with the people up here,” Livingston said.