Holiday Gift and Craft Show at Fox Cities Exhibition Center offers festive fun: final day concludes holiday event
Dec 21, 2024
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) - The Holiday Gift and Craft show returned for the fourth year at the Fox Cities Expo center and there was a large turnout on Saturday for the final event of the season.
"We see a lot of families here, children," said Tim Zurko, a business owner and event organizer. "You know, they're not on their phone all day long, they come shop and hold something tangible as opposed to shopping online, and it's a great way to support local vendors as well."
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For vendors like Kristine Crane, being able to participate in the craft show meant showcasing her creations to friends old and new.
"I love it, I love being back here," said Crane. "I moved back for family, it was time to come home but my business started about 8 years ago in Canada."
Crane has two dogs and said the name of her business, Sausage Sister Signs, was inspired by them.
More importantly, her business was an outlet for her to pursue her other passion: art.
"I was a corporate travel advisor and I was diagnosed with a really rare brain thing and I couldn't work anymore and so my love of crafting kind of morphed into this," Crane explained. "We're not just limited to what you see here. I have the ability to personalize, I have the ability to change things up, so pretty much signs and any kind of home decor. Anything that can be cut, lasered, or CNC engraved."
Sausage Sister Signs is located at 3021 West Prospect Avenue in Appleton. You can visit the Facebook page for more information on signs and other specialized products.
Attendees could shop from a wide variety of other vendors who brought amazing vintage and handmade goods for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.
"A lot of interesting baked goods here, candies, candles, a lot of woodworking, some great artists, so plenty to see," said Zurko.
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Other goods you could find included some of the following:
Toys
Stained Glass
Dried Flowers
Dolls
Quilts
Macrame
Ceramics
Jewelry
Miniatures
Organizers said almost 160 vendors from across northeast Wisconsin and neighboring states like Minnesota and Illinois attended the Holiday Gift and Craft Show and made it a fun event for the entire family.