On Saturday, December 1, the 35th annual Holiday Mart took place at Centennial High School. The event was organized by Howard County Parks and Recreation and ran from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. 124 vendors attended the juried show, in hopes of selling their handmade pieces. A juried show means everything sold is hand crafted.

The Holiday Mart has grown tremendously over the past few years. Heather Sites, coordinator of this year’s event states that the number of attendees was around 2,300; about a thousand more than last year. Because it was the 35th anniversary of the Holiday Mart, a lot more advertising was done in preparation for the day. Many new features were added to this year’s event, such as a visit from Frosty the Snowman, a children’s craft corner, and door prizes. Sites agrees that because the new additions proved to be such a big success this year, they are sure to return in coming years.

Tables were set up in the cafeteria, gym, and auxiliary gym for vendors. Each vendor paid a fee ranging from $95 to $145, and was dependent on the desired table size. Any person or small business interested in selling their wares applied for a spot in February of this year. “[Vendors] can include a small business, or anyone who enjoys this as side work,” Sites states. Items sold included things like jewelry, photography, paintings, sculptures, woodworking, ornaments, and much more.

Tickets cost and adult $3 at the door and $1 for kids aged three to twelve. After paying to gain entrance, each patron received a ticket with a number on it. On the hour, fifteen numbers were called. Whoever had a ticket holding a winning number won a door buster prize. Each vendor was asked to provide at least one of his or her items for the raffle. Door buster prizes ranged from paintings, woodcarvings, to things like pearl necklaces.

Patrons shopped around at the various vendors for any and every one on their holiday list. Junior Maria Sieron attended the event remarking, “I was able to find some really good Christmas presents for my family.”

A children’s craft corner and Frosty the Snowman’s appearance were among the new favorites this year. The craft corner was set up in the art room allowing children to make holiday presents for their friends or family. The children could make either a bracelet, a snowman ornament, or decorate a holiday tote bag. The kids were also able to enjoy sodas with Frosty outside of the cafeteria and take a picture with him. Both of these activities are free.

Many organizations, both school and community based, attended the event in hopes of raising money for their cause. The sophomore class of 2010 hosted a bake sale and by the end of the day raised $739 toward upcoming events in the next year. The National Art Honors Society (NAHS) also attended, selling ornaments, which were meant to hold a picture. The newly founded club at Centennial raised a total of $65. The American Red Cross Association also attended the event, running the coat check with the hope of raising money for researching a cure to cystic fibrosis.

In closing, the Howard County Recreation and Parks wishes to extend its thanks to Chuck and Casnell, CHS custodians, for a fantastic job helping throughout the day. Also, many thanks to Nancy Myers and the lunch helpers for providing lunch to both the vendors and patrons attending the event. “We had a great staff of about 30 this year. They are definitely looking forward to coming back next year.”

With an average of 700 possible vendors applying for 124 spots, keep an eye out for the soon to be released applications for next years Holiday Mart.