Colasanti’s has third annual craft show

by Hailey Trealout

Colasanti’s Tropical Gardens opened its doors for their third annual craft show Feb. 2.

An attendance of 60 local venders filled the halls of the venue, displaying their homemade merchandises.

The craft show was run by Ashley Colasanti who said the event has been kicked up a few notches, making it more successful as each year passes.

“The purpose for the event is to do something fun in the winter,” said Colasanti. “We have a lot of people from the local community asking us if they can come and sell items in the facility just because there’s not a lot of opportunities in the summer to sell the things that they make.”

Adele Altiman was one of the venders whose booth was filled with pieces of her native culture. She said people have had trouble finding items she provides and found this event was best for getting her items to the public.

“You never know what to expect wherever you go but it seems when we first came to the area. We did okay, and got a lot of interest,” said Altiman. “A lot of people have the same lineage with aboriginal and just don’t have the spots to buy things, so we provide those to them.”

Many venders expressed worry before the show because of the complicated weather and slippery roads. However, their worries quickly disappeared as a strong attendance of people started showing up.

Patty Huffstetler was one of the attendees who braved the weather. She said that despite the long drive from Windsor, she enjoys the comfortable atmosphere Colasanti’s provides.

“It’s always nice to see local artists applying their trade and putting their stuff out there for the public,” said Huffstetler. “I’ve always been a big fan of homemade and home-crafted items as opposed to the big store bought items.”

The next show will be Nov. 2 and will focus on giving younger generations a chance to show off their artistic abilities to the public.

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