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Artisans sought for craft bazaar

The Cranbrook club of the Canadian Federation of University Women is prepping for its 30th annual Christmas bazaar in November

It has been 30 years since the Cranbrook club of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) began hosting their popular Christmas bazaar.

In that time, the craft fair has come far from those first events where the club's members made trays of sandwiches and cookies, spent the day serving tea and coffee, and even made crafts to sell.

"It was the renovations of the Clubhouse about four years ago that brought an end to that service which was timely, as all of us are over 60 now," added Cathryn Henley, Chair of the bazaar, which will be held this year on Saturday, November 8 at the Cranbrook Golf Club.

The funds raised from the rent of table space go towards CFUW's projects.

"Now that we have met our $64,000 perpetual scholarship goal at the College of the Rockies, we have been able to expand our scope of helping the people of the East Kootenay enjoy a better life," said Henley.

"We have increased the amount of scholarships to the Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) program and to Mount Baker Secondary School for 2015, and are looking at other areas where funds are needed by deserving female students.

"We also have taken on contributing to the Friends of Children through the Kootenay Child Development Centre, and a host of educational programs throughout the region. Also, in keeping with the CFUW National Mission Statement, we are helping in the work in ending violence against children and women in Canada."

The club's largest annual fundraiser, the Bazaar opens at 10 a.m. and for a mere toonie, you can enjoy crafts and creations by East Kootenay artisans.

There will be a huge gift basket draw as well as hourly door prize draws of gifts from the participating artisans.

The CFUW Cranbrook Club will be selling Café Femenino again this year. If you want to order gift packs or one-pound bags before the bazaar, please contact the CFUW at cfuwcranbrookclub@yahoo.ca before October 15.

Although the club has rented out some tables, it stills needs another 25 artisans to commit to make this special event go ahead. Please contact the club at the above email address or visit www.cfuw-cranbrook.com for more information.

Cranbrook Golf Club has redone all the lighting, and according to a source at the clubhouse, there is a 70 per cent improvement over the previous lighting and electrical availability.

The deadline for reserving your table space is Friday, October 3. If you need power, those spaces are somewhat limited, so email as soon as possible.

The CFUW Cranbrook Club meets every third Thursday. If you are interested in joining the club, visit the website or contact cfuwcranbrookclub@yahoo.ca.