Staff writer
As the last vendor pulls out of Hillsboro Saturday evening, it will be the end of not only this year’s 46th Arts and Crafts Fair, but also Penni Schroeder’s run as fair director.
Schroeder will be moving out of state to be closer to family, and she has been thankful for the experience she has gained as director.
“Working with the city and with the Arts and Crafts Association has been rewarding,” Schroeder said, “and getting to know people that I wouldn’t have known if I wasn’t director.”
Schroeder is excited to see the final product of her last Arts and Crafts Fair as director.
“It’s nice to see it take place and come off well,” Schroeder said. “The city police say it goes pretty smoothly but it’s probably just because of the people in the community. It’s a good community.”
Schroeder’s job included getting applications out to vendors, getting applications to jurors and making sure they are in order, placing vendors, handling cancellations, and making sure police have information.
Another is sending out the acceptance letters, which not all applicants receive.
“We always have some who don’t get accepted every year,” Schroeder said. “This year we had a few more just because we wanted to go with more unique vendors.”
This year, the fair will see over 280 vendors, from as close as Hillsboro to as far as Utah and Arizona.
“One very unique vendor is someone selling sauerkraut,” Schroeder said. “There’s also rubs and salsas to compliment foods.”
Another unique booth will focus on oils for beards, aftershave, and soap for men.
“It’s their first year here,” Schroeder said. “For a while, we hardly had anything for boys or men, so we’ve gotten more capes and things like that.”
One new vendor, “Lucy’s Love,” will offer fairy houses and garden boxes.
“They’re very intricate,” Schroeder said. “I thought those were unique.”
Schroeder said she will miss the relationships she built over the past six years, and the board that she worked under.
“I love planning and organizing, so I’ll miss that part of it, too,” Schroeder said, “but I’ll probably do something with that still.”