Lori Graham
Contributing Writer
RINER – The Sixth Annual Spring Craft Show showcased over 100 vendors, filling two gymnasiums and the cafeteria at Auburn High School in Riner.
A variety of handcrafted items included jewelry, crocheted items, wreaths, home décor, flowers, woodworking, handbags, books, boutique shops, and so much more was available to purchase at this event, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary of the Riner Fire Department. Food was also available for purchase from food trucks Purple Moon Café and Hillbilly Hodges BBQ Wagon.
Artist and creator of Peacock Perch Creations, Lauren Mills is a local Christiansburg business doing metal laser engraving and wood designs for home and personal decorations. Mills also does custom work for weddings and other special occasions. During Saturday’s craft show, Mills created small, personalized laser etching on select merchandise for her customers by using her portable machine.
Becky Saylors, President of the RFD Ladies Auxiliary Becky and an organizer for the event said she had several other great members and volunteers to team together with in bringing the event together for its sixth year. Vice President Debbie Compton, Secretary Teresa Thompson, and Treasurer Holly Coalson contributed a lot of time and work to make the event successful.
“I started working on this really New Year’s Eve, started getting everything together…we started with the returning vendors, came up with flyers and kind of opened it up to the general public,” Saylors said. “We have learned a lot over the years and each time you do it you learn something new…after tonight we will have an awards banquet and I will be stepping down as president and we will have a new president.”
RFD Ladies Auxiliary bylaws were created to bring in a new president every two years, Saylors said.
The event provides 120 spaces for vendors, with over 100 vendors signing up this year. There were a few unexpected emergencies preventing some individuals from coming this year; however, the turnover was incredible with many visitors thrilled with the positioning of vendors and the supportive volunteers available to provide assistance to those taking in the event.
“Everyone was so nice and helpful during the event. It was a great turnout and there was so much variety of vendors. The Ladies did a wonderful job,” Floyd resident and event-goer John Dankowski said.
The annual craft event occurs the first weekend in April every year. Additional events that preceded the craft event were the Riner Fire Department Oyster Supper on Mar. 23, and the Ladies Auxiliary of the RFD sponsored Easter Egg hunt on Mar. 30 at the Auburn High School football field.
To find out more about the Ladies Auxiliary to the Riner Volunteer Fire Department, visit their website at https://rinerladiesauxiliary.com.
