For 6 years now, Lady Slipper Arts, Crafts and Exposure (LACE) Events has been getting the people of Park Rapids ready for the holiday with their craft show. Looking for some creative inspiration for the holiday season? Try checking out your own neighborhood! It’s officially craft fair season in Minnesota.

“We went through quite a few of the vendors and we got some beautiful jewelry that’s magnetic, so it’s really easy to take on or take off,” says Jackie Perius, a frequent craft fair shopper.

The Winter Wonderland Craft Show featured more than 20 vendors this year. Some of the vendors even came on special requests from the Park Rapids community.

“We have some unique and custom hand-crafted treasures. We also have a few direct sales people who were requested from our shoppers so you’ll find it is a one-stop shop! You can find just about anything in there for the holiday season,” says Lezli Zimmerman, LACE events coordinator.

The craft fair also serves another purpose for the community. By shopping, attendees were also helping the local food shelf.

Zimmerman says, “Within the last few years, our admission has always gone towards [the] food shelf. If you bring in a canned item, within the last few years, we’re up to almost 400-500 pounds of food for them, so it’s been a lot of fun to do that.”

Christmas is coming, but before you know it, it will be spring again. Luckily for shoppers, the LACE Craft Fair has got you covered all year round.

“We may be going to a one-day show as we will be adding another one in March and you can look for it around the second week of March,” says Zimmerman.

A LACE craft fair won’t be returning until March, but shoppers in our viewing area will have tons of opportunities to keep their craft fair filled with shows coming in Bemidji, Turtle River and Wadena.

“I’m pretty excited. I think it was kind of great to come to. I like to go to different craft fairs all over the place and in different towns,” says Perius.

If you yourself are a crafty person looking for a space to showcase your work, LACE is always looking for new vendors.

“We have plenty of space to expand so if you’re a crafter or an artisan, give me a call. We’ll try to fit you in. We maintain unique items so that every vendor does well and we have a vast assortment,” says Zimmerman.

Zimmerman can be contacted at lezli.lace@gmail.com.

By — Shirelle Moore