Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair featured 90 vendors

On Saturday, December 6, area residents gathered in the Riverside Middle School Gymnasium for the 36th Annual Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair.

http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/36th-annual-beyond-unicorn-craft-fair-featured-90-vendors-0

36th Annual Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair Featured 90 Vendors Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 12/09/2014 - 12:56pm By LAUREN DRASLER The Shopper SPRINGFIELD. VT -On Saturday, December 6, area residents gathered in the Riverside Middle School Gymnasium for the 36th Annual Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair. The event ran from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and featured 90 vendors, including clubs from Springfield High School who sold wreaths, baked goods and did face painting. Vendors that were featured at the craft fair sold a variety of goods including jewelry, clothing, ornaments, woodworking products and even pet clothes. The Springfield High School Alumni Association sold food in the cafeteria. Fees paid by vendors for their booths and food sales benefit the Springfield High School Alumni Association, which helps with the cost of the Alumni Parade and the distribution of their annual newsletter. Though the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair is now run by the Springfield High School Alumni Association, Springfield High School Art Teacher Lisa Murray originally started the event 36 years ago to benefit the arts program at the high school. “I started an art club at SHS 36 years ago and the kids wanted to publish an Arts and Literary Magazine and we thought the craft fair could help raise money for it,” she said. “We had the event in the Riverside Cafeteria and had 20 or so vendors. The students designed the logo for the event and came up with the name. When the craft fair got too big for the students to help set up, the Springfield Teachers Association took it over.” Though the Springfield Teachers Association helped organize the fair for numerous years, Treasurer of the Springfield High School Alumni Association Marie Gelineau is now in charge of organizing the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair. “This is the 18th year that I have organized the Fair,” she said. “Lisa Murray chaired it as a fundraiser for the Springfield Teachers Association before I became Chair. [It] is now the largest fundraiser for the Springfield High School Alumni Association.” Gelineau said that it is hard to know exactly how many people attend the Fair each year, because there is no fee to get in. However, she said that the parking lot at Riverside is usually full by mid-morning. Gelineau also said that the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair helps to unify the community, because it is such a well-attended event. “I think it is very important to continue celebratory events such as this for the community, because it is an opportunity for citizens to come together for enjoyment,” she said. “You meet old friends and acquaintances and also many former residents as well as ‘out-of-towners’ come to the event.” Since Gelineau is the Chair of the Craft Fair, she is in charge of deciding which vendors sell their products at the event. Gelineau said that she decides based on the variety of products that each vendor sells. “Vendors who want to participate in the event contact me and send me pictures of the products they make,” she said, “I choose people based on variety. If, for instance, we already had two potters here [at the Fair] I wouldn’t ask another to come. I want to keep everything varied, and that’s why there are so many different vendors here today.” Because space is limited at Riverside Middle School, Gelineau said that she is only allowed to accommodate 90 vendors at the event. Gelineau also said that there is a wait-list, but that sometimes vendors cancel, which gives other people the opportunity to show-off their products. One vendor that has attended the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair on-and-off for 15 years is Ellie Tallon who designs homemade Christmas Ornaments. Her company, Jalin of Vermont, is based in Reading. “I’ve been making handmade clay Christmas ornaments for 25 years,” she said. “All the ornaments are made by hand. I use polymer clay and I use a pasta machine to roll out the clay.” Tallon said that she makes five ornaments at a time, and the amount of time she spends on an ornament depends on how it detailed it is. Though Tallon said she enjoys selling her Christmas ornaments at the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair, she said that her favorite part is seeing what everyone else is selling. “My favorite part of this Craft Fair is that I get to shop and see what everyone else has to offer,” she said. “It’s my last show of the year.” Another vendor that has been attending the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair for many years is Bob Gelineau who is based in Springfield and sells birdhouses made of recycled products and message boards made out of corks. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years,” he said. “It’s a hobby of mine, and I started doing it, because I like to reuse and recycle things and make something out of nothing.” Gelineau said that his favorite thing he makes is birdhouses. Some are made out of cork, while others have recycled license plates as roofs. Gelineau has been a vendor at the Fair for 17 years, and said that his favorite part of coming to the Fair is meeting new people. Though those that were selling their products enjoyed the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair, those that were in attendance to shop also had many positive things to say about the event. “I attended the Craft Fair because I agreed to help out at the Springfield Humane Society booth,” Michele Delhaye said. “This is one of the best craft fairs in the area and I’ve always loved it.” Delhaye said that she has attended the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair 20 times over the years since its inception. Delhaye also said that her favorite part of attending the Fair is winning a raffle prize, which has happened a few times over the years. While in attendance this year, Delhaye won a knitted scarf. Retired Reading Programs Instructor for the Springfield School District Judy Bastille has also attended the Fair for many years. “I’ve probably come to the Beyond the Unicorn Craft Fair 20 times over the years,” she said. “I like the food and the crafts. I am usually able to buy several Christmas presents and I also love seeing friends while I’m here.” - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/36th-annual-beyond-unicorn-craft-fair-featured-90-vendors-0#sthash.Tu7hAGHh.dpuf.