It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas – at the Cochrane Lioness Lions Club (CLLC), at least.
The 34th iteration of CLLC Annual Christmas Craft Fair will take place Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lions Club Event Centre, located at 109 Fifth Avenue in Cochrane.
“It’s one of our biggest events of the year,” said CLLC president Kathryn Gibbesch. “It’s a great place to do any of your holiday shopping, and it’s also a great place to meet and interact with our locals.”
Most of the fair’s 70-plus vendors, according to Gibbesch, hail from the Cochrane area.
Handmade items available at the event include coffee mugs, pillow covers, holiday decor, beauty products, fresh-baked goods and an assortment of homemade fruitcakes.
Gibbesch said visitors will be able to tick plenty of names off their Christmas shopping lists as they browse the various tables.
“It’s just a great environment,” she said. “It gets you into the festive mood.”
To enhance the holiday spirit, Santa Claus will be meandering through the venue and handing out candy, while members of the Cochrane Youth Singers will sing Christmas carols.
For parents, the event includes a babysitting station – for $5, parents can leave their tots for one hour with volunteer babysitters, who will look after the child while Mom and Dad browse the craft fair.
Parking is free and plentiful, according to Gibbesch, and proceeds from the fair’s $2 entry fee will support various initiatives and groups throughout Cochrane.
“Any money made at this event will go right back into the community, as we sponsor other community programs, as well,” Gibbesch said.
“We support the schools in our region, we support the Boys and Girls Club [of Cochrane and Area], we support the 4-H Club. We also support the Activettes Club, and things like that. We’ve also given money to hospice care.”
