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Austintown Middle School craft show gives back
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.One of the largest tables set up was the Christmas and holiday decoration table. This table was placed as soon as you walked in the doors so it was the first one that customers saw. Several items were available to purchase to complete holiday shopping.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Bottles decorated with paint and different gems were available at the PTA Craft show. These bottles provide decoration and had different logos on them, such as sports teams.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Purses with different patterns were sold at the craft show. There were a variety of sizes, patterns, colors and types of purses and handbags for sale.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Nick Hird, a student in the Cross Categorial Class at Austintown Intermediate School, stood in front of the rock snowmen salt his class worked on for the Austintown Middle School Craft Show on Nov. 14.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
The Austintown PTA hosted their 32nd annual PTA Craft Show at the Austintown Middle School on Nov. 14. The school hosts more than 200 craftors and vendors and is run completely by the Austintown PTA.
The craft show is the only fundraiser the Austintown Middle School has, so a lot of the money the middle school PTA receives is from this craft show. The profits from the craft show are given back to the students for field trips and other finances. The science pavilion was built using the money from the craft show, and it took nearly four years to gather the money needed to fund it.
Three major hallways, the cafetorium and two gyms are all used as a home for vendors to sell their items. The items being sold range from baked goods to handmade jewelry and different glass designed objects.
“We start planning right after Thanksgiving, which gives us almost a year to prepare. The applications go out in July for the vendors to fill out for them to participate in the craft show. So many people apply there is a waiting list,” said Deb Fuller, one the of PTA chair members
The craft show always takes place on the second Saturday of November.
Many of the vendors hear about the craft show through word of mouth and from attending the previous shows. There are so many vendors wanting to attend the event that a waiting list is created and if one vendor opts out, the first person on the waiting list is called. They are able to show up to the middle school at 8 a.m. to set up their tables. The craft show is from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., and people from all over the area attend the event.
The Austintown Intermediate School Cross Categorical Class has their own table to raise funds for their own field trips and crafts that will help the students with their life skills. This year the students made rock salt snowman bottles.
Amy Tibolla and Brittney Inglis sat at the Cross Categorical Class table with some of the students trying to sell their rock salt snowmen.
“We have been saving the coffee creamer bottles for about one year and have more than 400 pounds of salt,” said Tibolla.
A Chinese auction also took place, along with a 50/50 raffle.