Opinion: Fall River's annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair a big success once again

James Rogers
·2 min read

On behalf of the Fall River Scholarship Foundation, I would like to thank area residents for their support of the 45th annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair that was held at Durfee High School.

It was good to return to an in-person fair after the pandemic forced us to have an online fair last year. Precautions were followed, including wider aisles, sanitizing stations for all the crafters and guests who were all wearing masks.

The fair featured the handmade work of 155 crafters who came from each of the six New England states. Over 7,000 visitors attended the two-day event at the Luke Urban Field house.

The Crafts Fair has become an annual event that is a highlight of the Christmas season in Fall River. The popularity of the fair and the quality of handmade goods attract tourists from throughout Southern New England. Many visitors said they drove 50 miles or more to come to this craft fair, the largest of its kind in southern New England during the Christmas season.

The committee expresses its appreciation to Lynne Sullivan and Linda Murphy of The Herald News and Hector Gauthier, WSAR, for their assistance in the promotion of this community event. We especially thank the 25 volunteers, including the Durfee Orchestra group under the direction of Nicole Turgeon, for their assistance.

The Durfee Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair, seen here from a previous year, returned for its 45th annual event at Durfee High School this year.
The Durfee Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair, seen here from a previous year, returned for its 45th annual event at Durfee High School this year.

The fair started with 40 crafters during the first year at Bishop Connolly High School. It soon expanded to 100 and then outgrew the Connolly facility. James Panos, then principal of Durfee High School, allowed the fair to move to its present location where it can now accommodate 200 crafters.

During these 45 years, the fair has awarded over $750,000 in scholarships to Fall River students in the pursuit of their higher education.

The Fall River Scholarship Foundation will award over $30,000 in scholarships to Fall River students at their awards ceremony in June 2022.

Once again, I thank the people of the area for their support on this annual fair and welcome your assistance to the Fall River Scholarship Foundation in our effort to award scholarships to deserving students in our community.

James Rogers

President, Fall River Scholarship Foundation

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Opinion: Fall River's Christmas Arts and Crafts Fair a big success