Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1482573
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 1, 2022 UCW 15 Shoppers can kick off holiday season with 55th Holly Day Fair by KATRINA WILSON EVENT e season for giving is approaching and people can help the women of the Junior League of Fayetteville do that at the 55th Annual Holly Day Fair Nov. 3 to 6 at the Crown Expo Center. According to the organization, it is the larg- est holiday gift and craft show in eastern North Carolina. e event draws an average of 22,000 attendees and over 150 vendors. "Show-goers have an extensive selection of unique handcrafted and manufactured prod- ucts to select from including the best in holiday decorations, handmade crafts, stylish jewelry and clothes, children's toys, specialty food items and much more," said Juelle McDonald, Holly Day Fair Chair 2022 on the Junior League of Fayette- ville's website. is year's theme is Make Spirits Bright. She noted that over 50 years ago, a group of lo- cal women came together to fundraise by hosting a small crafts fair at St. John's Episcopal Church in Fayetteville. McDonald said a portion of the revenue is given back to the local community through the Junior League of Fayetteville CAP grants, the Ju- nior League of Fayetteville Scholarship fund and other community initiatives. McDonald said it is the organization's sole fun- draiser, but it is big. "It's how we raise our money. It's how we're able to help our community and give scholar- ships and really be a change when it comes to financial aspects and support different commu- nity endeavors," she said. e funds they distribute to different organi- zations come from the fair's booth rental fees, sponsorships and tickets to the fair. ey decided not to do the show in 2020 due to the pandemic, but had it last year and received a lot of community support. What's New? McDonald said a new item to the show is Cookies with the Clauses. "Mr. and Mrs. Claus are going to be there," she said. "ey're going to read a book and it's going to be an activity for the children. We are excited to incorporate that into the show this year. It'll be the first time we've ever done anything like it." "We're thankful for our community. It's be- cause of our community we're able to do this. For 55 years our community has come through. Our community has supported us," McDonald said. "We couldn't be more thankful." e League's Mission "e Junior League of Fayetteville is an or- ganization of women dedicated to serving our community, being volunteers for our community and being that active voice and change whether that's with work that we do with our CAP grants or the work that we do through the Holly Day Fair," McDonald said. "We're just an organization of women devoted to actively ensuring that our community is a better place." eir mission is to advance women's leader- ship for meaningful community impact through volunteer action, collaboration and training. eir values include diversity, collaboration, community, empowerment, leadership, respect and service. KATRINA WILSON, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200 Dec. 2 COMING SOON! Jan. 2, 2023 Jan. 25, 2023 Nov. 20 A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 6 * 7:30 P.M. The Nutcracker Lviv National Philharmonic Orchestra of Get tickets at: uncp.edu/gpac • 910.521.6361 /Givenspac " One of the most gorgeous shows in years. " – New York Observer Journey to the past. Sponsored by Wesley Pines Retirement Community and the Robeson County Arts Council Holly Day Fair co-chair Juelle McDonald (left) and Kaia Collins- Frye, Junior League president (center) take a photo op with Tracey Powell from WTVD 11 at a previous Holly Day Fair event. (Photo courtesy the Junior League)