Are you a craft enthusiast? Do you have an antique item, but are not sure how much it is worth?<!—->.

Tuesday, October 09, 2001

Are you a craft enthusiast? Do you have an antique item, but are not sure how much it is worth?

If so, Peggy Smith says the 15th annual Ironton Co-Operative Club Craft and Gift Show is the place to be. This year’s event will be held Oct. 20-21 at the Ironton High School Sports Center. The show will run from 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 12-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Nearly 30 crafters from all over the Tri-State have already committed to the show and the list is expected to grow, said Smith, chair of the craft show. Items that will be available at the show include woodwork, floral arrangements, quilts, seasonal items, food, clothing, candles, and much more.

"We have some really nice crafts," Smith said. "Most of our crafters come back year after year, but we also try to find some new ones."

Smith said she and Betty Douglas, Lora Zerkle, Margaret Reid and Dolores Haas, other members of the Co-Operative Club’s craft show committee, visit craft shows around the area and distribute flyers in an attempt to attract new crafters.

Porky Nichols will also be on hand to do appraisals at $1 per item. If you have an older item that has been stored away in your closet or even a personal treasure and you are not sure how much it is worth, Smith says this is the perfect time to find out how valuable it is.

In addition to the craft booths and appraisals, there will also be a bake sale, door prizes, face painting and story telling for the children and entertainment. Tentatively scheduled to perform are Crossing Jordan, the Singing Kernels, the Coal Grove High School jazz band, the Foot in the Air sting band and Left Side. Other acts may be added in the coming days.

"We hope everybody comes out," Smith concluded. "There should be something for just about everybody."

Two-thirds of the money raised at the craft show will be used for the club’s education projects, which includes assistance to local schools and scholarship money for students achieving academic goals. The remaining third goes to local civic projects, such as donations to the food bank, Clean-Up Day in Ironton, the Crop Walk, the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library, the Lawrence County Humane Society, the Lawrence County Museum, Tri-State Industries and the Veterans Memorial Committee.