First a vendor, now a director

Walls preparing for arts and crafts fair in a new way

By KAITLYN ALANIS

Staff writer

As 300 vendors from about 15 states are preparing for 40,000 shoppers anticipated for Hillsboro’s 48th annual Arts and Crafts Fair, one local vendor is preparing for quite a bit more.

Brenda Walls, a vendor of about 20 years, is not only preparing to sell hand-crafted trees and ornaments, but she also is organizing the fair, including volunteers, vendor registration, and vehicle loading zones.

Walls is in her first year as fair director and has been planning for this year’s event since November 2016.

“It will be different,” Walls said. “I’ve only seen it from the vendor side of my booth, so not even as a shopper. Being in this role is a lot to think about.”

She said it has been a detail-oriented position.

“There’s a lot of details, but I was left with a full notebook that has really helped me,” she said. “It’s a huge undertaking dealing with not just a few people, but also the community and 300 vendors from all over. We want to make sure everyone from the city, all the departments, and the vendors are on same page with all ducks in a row.”

The job was made easier by stepping in at a time when the fair has been going for so long, she said.

“When you’ve done this for 48 years, even when the baton is passed, people know their job,” she said. “And now I get to see it all come together and watch it happen.”

She said she has been working with all parts of the city, including local businesses and police, fire, and EMS departments.

“It’s been hard to talk to one person in this town who is not involved with the Arts and Crafts Fair somehow,” Walls said.

It is because of the community involvement she has seen in that she is eager for vendors to arrive, streets to fill, and people to shop.

“I’ve always loved the hustle and bustle of Arts and Crafts Fair, and I’m excited to see the whole thing come together,”
she said. “We have a really good ongoing support group of community people who make this go and help pull it off. It puts our community on the map.”