Although the weather over the past few days has been conducive to sun-bathing, officials with the Fayette-Nicholas Chapter of the American Red Cross are thinking cooler thoughts. The ARC announced recently the 14th annual Christmas Festival Arts & Crafts Show has been scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3 in Oak Hill. Earlier in its existence the festival was held at the National Guard Armory in Oak Hill.
Following a move to Fayetteville for a few years to the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Building, the show will move back to Oak Hill this year. The festival is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lewis Foundation Christian Community Center, the old armory, on Central Avenue. The festival is the chapter s largest fundraiser of the year, and Roseanne Berry, executive director, says it s a vital part of the services provided by the local ARC.
The funds support Fayette and Nicholas counties, our disaster fund, she said. Our disaster fund has been depleted, so we have to get some money back in it. Berry said the chapter annually provides support for local residents in dire straits, most usually families who have been displaced because of single family dwelling or apartment building fires. We usually help between 25 and 30 families a year, she said. You re talking about several thousand dollars there.
Besides generating funds to aid the ARC in its service to Fayette and Nicholas counties, the annual event is a lot of fun, she said, and a great way to view the works of local artisans and to do some early Christmas shopping Our biggest draw is our wonderful local artisans, Berry said, adding, but we also have a silent auction that s always popular, and Santa Claus will be there at 3 p.m., and we always have a military tree ceremony at 1 p.m.