According to one of the event’s organizers Wendy Moore, the event was an opportunity for locals to get together to spread joy over a holiday meal and support local artisans while getting their Christmas shopping done at the same time.

She explained that the event originally started out as an initiative to raise funds to purchase new play structures for the schoolyard.

Helped by fundraisers and government grants, the school was able to purchase a brand-new play structure after the first two years. For this year’s fundraiser, the school’s governing board is eyeing an outdoor classroom with a shelter.

Moore believes the shelter would be of great benefit to the school because it would give students an opportunity to study outside when the weather allows it and a place to hang out in the shade during recess.

Worth an estimated $15,000, Moore said the structure would have cement flooring with four large beams, topped with a tin roof.

“Tin’s very expensive and cement is very expensive,” she said. “We haven’t gotten to the point of finding out exactly what the price is yet.”

Moore said that the project is expected to take two years to complete.

In the school’s cafeteria, a number of volunteers worked hard in the kitchen, as attendees indulged in a large variety of greasy delights. The menu included bacon grilled-cheese sandwiches that sold out very quickly.

To help raise even more money for the school, one of the event’s organizers Rebecca Tracy held an online auction, which raised as much as $3,400. The auction included a wide assortment of products donated by the event’s vendors and members of the community, including jewellery, Christmas decorations and baked goods.

A trio of Lions Club members sold 50/50 tickets for a draw, which asked participants to guess the number of lights on the community Christmas tree located in front of the Ringrose house on Front Street.

In the gymnasium, around 40 vendors from the region held kiosks where they sold a wide variety of locally-produced commodities.

From hand-crafted toques to natural soaps and creams along with plenty of home decorations, plenty of attendees roamed every part of the room, seeking out the best deals on the market.

For Moore, the event is a great way of bringing joy to the community and promoting it as well since the event attracts people from all parts of the region.

“It’s an opportunity for Campbell’s Bay to have a Christmas market,” she said. “It gets everybody and we’re very fortunate because we draw from all over the Pontiac to come here.”

Delighted by the vast number of people who attended the event, Moore said that it was the school’s most successful holiday craft and bake sale so far.

“It seems to be really good,” she said. “The people seem happy; the vendors seem happy … we were a little nervous with the weather.”

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