33rd Annual

 

I slept through my alarm because I had forgotten to turn the sound up. I awakened from nightmares where I was late for work at a restaurant I have never seen before because I had forgotten to set my alarm. Coincidence?

If there any lesson here it’s to be prepared. If you’re not you might miss out. (Although, that restaurant was nothing to write home about.)

An event you absolutely should not miss due to lack of prior planning is the annual craft fair at Oakland Mills High School. It’s this Saturday. Put it on your calendar. Set an alarm. Make sure the sound is on.

Get an early start on holiday shopping at the 33rd Annual Oakland Mills High School Craft Fair, organized by the OMHS PTSA. Vendors selling many hand-made unique and varied crafts and gifts. Free admission for shoppers. Proceeds for the event go directly to support the students and staff of Oakland Mills High School.

Saturday, November 5th. 10 am to 3 pm. Oakland Mills High School is located at 9410 Kilimanjaro Road in Columbia. If you’re trying to plan your Saturday, don’t forget that OMHS is conveniently located near the Dunkin at the Oakland Mills Village Center and the amazing Laura’s Place playground at Blandair Park. So you can get your caffeine on before the event and promise your kids a trip to the playground afterwards. 

I can see this shaping up to be a perfectly wonderful day. The words on the poster are certainly enticing.

CLOTHES, CANDLES, TOYS, WOOD DECOR, HOLIDAY DECOR, 3D PRINTED ITEMS, JEWELRY, PAPER CRAFTS, HAIR AND BODY PRODUCTS, FACE PAINTING AND MUCH MORE FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Everyone is welcome. It’s not just an Oakland Mills event. This is a day when Oakland Mills High School opens its doors to the entire Columbia/HoCo community. I’ve been to the Craft Fair a number of times through the years and I’ve always found something fun, interesting, and/or beautiful. One year I won a raffle and got to pick a free five-dollar item from the table of my choice. (You won’t be surprised that it was a stuffed animal.)

Admission is free, and there will be refreshments available for purchase. I enjoyed some great parent-made chili dogs one year. This year’s poster suggests there’ll be a food truck on site. And I see that one of the vendors is selling brownies, cookies, mini bundt cakes, and cake pops. Yum.

This year’s Oakland Mills High School Craft Fair is the 33rd annual.* These folks know what they are about. They don’t just have a Facebook Event page. They have a website. Want to get a look at the vendors who will be there? Check it out on the website. Want to plot your route through the gymnasiums to make the most of your visit? There’s a map. 

You are welcome to meander if you’re more the lackadaisical sort who savors the joy of discovery. There’s no “right way” to do it. But, when your daughter is selling beautiful handmade hair ornaments and you want to be able to find her - -  and tell your friends where her table is - - that map is a godsend. Ask me how I know. It was ten years ago, but I still remember trying to find her amongst the many-splendored vendor displays.

You should come because it’s free. You should come because it’s fun. You should come because you’ll find all sorts of handmade gifts and get to talk with their creators. Most of all, you should come because of this:

Proceeds for the event go directly to support the students and staff of Oakland Mills High School.

This Saturday. Ten am to three pm. Put it on your calendar. Set an alarm. Make sure the sound is on.

Don’t miss out.

*Just think. It was 1989, the year of the Tienamen Square protests in China.   Nintendo released the first Game Boy. The Berlin Wall came down. And the OMHS HVAC system was only 16 years old. Ah, memories.