There's a 1,000 pounds of plums heading to Prince George for all those who attend the annual Mennonite Fall Fair on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Civic Centre.
The volunteer-run event has been going strong for more than 30 years, offering residents the chance to get homemade borscht, fresh Mennonite farmer sausage from Manitoba, craft items from local artisans, baked goods and fresh fruit from Okanagan orchards, as well as fair trade third world craft items from 10,000 Villages.
"We have hundreds of volunteers and it's not just the people who work at the fair, it's the people who make and donate crafts and baking, the people who pick up and deliver those items, set up and organize -- it's an endless list," said Diane Fairservice, one of the organizers of the event.
The majority of the volunteers come from the congregation of the Westwood Mennonite Church, the sponsor of the event.
"The fair is a great place to pick up Christmas presents," said Fairservice. "10,000 Villages has beautiful Christmas tree ornaments, the local crafts' booth is always great to pick up items to tuck away for Christmas as well. We've got knitting, sewing and quilted items and since they are all donated by members of the congregation, it's always a bit of a surprise as to what's going to be on the tables because we never know what people are up to."
Fairservice has been experimenting with knitting and felting and has created bowls and hot mats this year for the fair.
"I'm always on the lookout for something that's easy to do but interesting enough to have on the tables," said Fairservice. "It might be something we haven't seen before that's fun to make and that's where the bowls came from because it's nothing I've ever seen before."
This year, the fair is the recipient of a van load of baked goods from the Vanderhoof Christian Fellowship Church that is sure to include many unique treats.
Lunch is available all day, featuring beet borscht, farmer sausage on a bun, dessert and a beverage, and of course there's great bargains at the garage sale featuring used clothing and books.
The Mennonite Central Committee gets about 90 per cent of the proceeds to help in Third World countries and the Westwood Mennonite Church directs those funds to food and clean water projects. For more information about the projects visit www.mcc.org.
