By: Brendan Losinski | Fraser-Clinton Chronicle | Published February 7, 2024
FRASER — Anyone looking to sell their finest crafted items, purchase a variety of crafted items from among their community, or support the local music program can join the Fraser Band Boosters at their 32nd annual Spring Craft Show.
The craft show is organized by the Fraser Band Boosters and helps support the music program at Fraser High School.
“It’s an amazing production,” said Carol Agnew, the craft show chair. “You can find all kinds of things you can’t get anywhere else. It’s fun to see everyone’s creativity. I see things I would never have thought about making. Once you come once, you’ll want to come year after year.”
The craft show takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, at Fraser High School, 34270 Garfield Road. Admission is $3 per person. Parking is free, but strollers are prohibited inside. Concessions will be offered, and a 50/50 raffle will take place.
“The last couple years, we’ve had more than 2,000 customers come through the door each year,” said Agnew. “We are going to have 245 booths. There are probably about 200 crafters attending. They will have all kinds of things. We don’t have direct sales; everything is somehow created by the crafter themself. We have everything from wooden signs, crocheted towels, jewelry, soap, body lotion, tumblers, candles, tea and more.”
The funds raised are used to further students’ musical education in a variety of ways.
“The money is raised selling the booths to the crafters, the proceeds from the concession stand and the admission fees,” said Agnew. “The money is used for the band. The biggest thing is we pay for band camp in the summer. The band goes away for a week and this picks up the tab for the instructors and so forth. We also pay for instrument repair, purchasing new instruments, extra stuff like feeding the kids at homecoming since they don’t have time to go home. It pays for pretty much anything extra beyond what the school pays for.”
Jim Rodgers, Fraser High School’s instrumental music department head, said that the contributions to the musical education of Fraser students made possible by the band boosters is incalculable.
“It’s definitely our largest fundraiser each year. It brings in money that supports additional equipment purchases, instrument repair and maintenance,” said Rodgers. “We have some money in the budget for that but not for unplanned expenses. It also helps us in our marching band season by hiring additional staff or going to camps. It really is a major supplement to our annual budget.”
Rodgers added that they’re still looking for vendors for the sale if any local crafters wish to take part.
“We’re also recruiting vendors. We’re always looking for more vendors,” he said. “As for consumers, I encourage them to attend, of course. We have a lot of great crafters with a wide variety of creations. It fills the whole school and there’s something new to see at every turn.”
Those wishing to purchase a table to sell their crafts at the event can email the Fraser Band Boosters at fraserbandcraftshow@gmail.com.
Agnew and Rodgers both stressed how much financial support is made possible by the Fraser Band Boosters, and by the Spring Craft Sale in particular.
“We probably get $20,000 to $25,000 each year in support. It depends on the year, but we get a lot of financial support from them,” said Rodgers. “I can’t tell you how much this sale helps our school and students.”