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Craft fair fever

Last week we encouraged readers to shop locally for Christmas presents. That obviously means patronizing local stores, owned and staffed by people who live here, donating to untold local causes and spending their own income here.

But it also means craft fairs. Personally, we almost always find great gifts to buy from the artisans — residents of our towns and the outlying region — who bring their handmade wares to these events. You can’t get gifts like this in a box store, and online, how would you know what to look for?

It’s too late for North Country Community College’s 33rd annual Holiday Arts & Crafts Fair, which kicked off the shopping season in Saranac Lake on Nov. 20, but this is the big weekend for holiday craft fairs.

Probably the biggest is Sparkle Village, Friday evening (4 to 8 p.m.) and Saturday (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) at the Harrietstown Town Hall, 39 Main St., Saranac Lake. It’s sponsored by the Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, and admission costs $2. It’s always good.

The Episcopal Church of St. Luke the Beloved Physician holds its annual Holiday Bazaar Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in its parish hall, 136 Main St. Knitted goods are often the highlight, and there is also food, a raffle and a silent auction.

Also in Saranac Lake on Saturday is the Jingle Junquerama Christmas sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the John Black Room of the Saranac Laboratory Museum, 89 Church St., presented by the Adirondack Unitarian Universalist community. Expect knitted wares, jewelry, CDs, etc.

In Lake Placid on Friday, a Holiday Bazaar will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Elderwood of Uihlein, the former Uihlein Living Center for senior citizens, offering an opportunity to see the place under its new ownership — as well as to shop for crafts, food, baked goods and white elephant items.

On Saturday in Lake Placid, St. Agnes School at 2322 Saranac Ave. will host its Christmas Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The weekend’s final fair is at an unlikely location, but you can have a beer while you shop. The Rusty Nail bar at 83 Broadway, Saranac Lake, will host its Christmas Arts and Craft Fair Sunday night from 6 to 9 p.m.

While you’re in the Christmas spirit, we encourage you to take part in the following:

¯ Saranac Lake’s tree lighting is at 5 p.m. Friday in Berkeley Green, at the corner of Main Street and Broadway in the heart of downtown.

¯ The Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department at 100 Broadway will hold a toy drive for underprivileged local kids from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Please donate new toys only in their original packaging, and do not wrap them.

¯ The 9-Pin Tap Tournament benefits Holiday Helpers at noon, 3 and 6 p.m. Saturday at Romano’s Saranac Lanes, 11 Bloomingdale Ave., Saranac Lake. It’s $15 a person for three games of bowling with shoes, and proceeds go to Christmas gifts for underprivileged local families. Bring an unwrapped toy for a girl or boy.

¯ The Adirondack Singers will perform their Winter Concert at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Bernard’s Church in Saranac Lake.

¯ Finally, the “Nutcracker” ballet, an annual tradition for many families, will be performed at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts, 17 Algonquin Drive. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $15 for children.

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