Donald Teuma-Castelletti
OTTER LAKE Nov. 3, 2018
Jingle bells were rocking and the Otter Lake R.A. Hall was hung with all manner of local vendors’ wares, as the 2018 Otter Lake Craft and Vender show took place on Nov. 3.
Featuring over a dozen vendors from around the Pontiac, plus many prizes, draws and food options, there was plenty to shop on Saturday as families sought to get their holiday lists crossed off.
Event organizer Crystal Dubeau said the event is a great way to help bring the community together as the holiday season begins, and that it was great to host it early as there isn’t always a lot of similar events going on just yet.
As well as organizing the show, Dubeau was also running her own booth, plus the kitchen with staff from her restaurant, Rumours Resto-Café. Which is why there’s another reason she arranges it all – it gets her whole family involved.

While the older boys, Austin, Joel, and Tyler Lance, helped with prize distribution and kitchen work, Erica Lance was busy running her mom’s table. As well, Dubeau’s husband, Richard Lance, was seen running back and forth between the hall and restaurant, ensuring everything was running smoothly.
New to the hall this year was Sylvie Lemay’s pyrography, also known as woodburning art, which proved popular amongst the crowd. Lemay explained that it was her first craft show, and only for this year, after practicing the art for a few years to give away as gifts.
Taking inspiration from the wildlife around her, many of the wood planks depicted wolves, deer and other scenes, with the image burned onto the piece.
Lemay explained that she was encouraged to start selling her items when she received a lot of positive feedback from friends on the gifts. She said that customers had been attracted to her work right away, and that she felt it was because few people had seen it done before.
Another standout addition to the show was Jennifer Larose’s needle felted figures, featuring a wide variety of animals, plus people, often fitting to the Christmas theme.
Larose explained her items begin as simple wire figures, bent into the shape she’ll need, before they’re fit with outer, soft layers that make up the figure. On display, she had otters, polar bears, and a familiar friendly wizard, all of which take many hours to make just one character.
She joked the craft is a great stress relief, as it requires stabbing wool with a needle for hours on end, with a cute result at the end of it.
The first 100 guests to the show were provided with free gifts of Christmas candles, and the winner of the 50/50 was Nathalie Gagnon. Raffle prize winners included Desiree Tremblay-Giroux, Dulcie Kluke, Marc Racine, Debbie Miron and Dubeau.