When the crowds rush into the Kelly Road Craft Fair year after year, people are looking for treasures of the season and probably never give a thought to who makes the magic happen behind the scenes.
Alice Sigurdson has been the key organizer of the ever-popular event for the last 31 years. She volunteers for the Hart Community Association and St. Vincent de Paul Society, too.
Sigurdson's volunteerism is all about community connections. Sigurdson volunteers at the Hart Community Centre that donates the leftover food from their many events to St. Vincent de Paul Society Drop In Centre on Second Avenue, which provides meals to those in need in downtown Prince George. Sigurdson is the person who delivers the food.
The Hart Community Association also sponsors the annual Kelly Road Craft Fair.
Sigurdson began volunteering at the Hart Community Centre about five years ago. She does whatever needs doing during their major events, taking tickets, working the coat check and clearing tables. Then she comes back in the morning to gather the leftovers and deliver them to St. Vincent's.
"It's taken a while to make the Kelly Road Craft Fair popular but now I betcha there's 1,000 people who walk through those doors on the Saturday of the fair," said Sigurdson, about the event that takes place Nov. 25 and 26.
Vendors come from all over the north to offer their treasures to patrons of the fair. There are 165 artisans selling their handmade wares during the event.
Because it's grown over time, Sigurdson has not only relied on who she calls her backbone, Alyce Bonnar and Fred Glendenning, but called in the troops and partnered with the Kelly Road Dry Grad committee.
"We just didn't have enough bodies to help us so the Dry Grad students and their parents have helped for over 25 years," said Sigurdson. "As you know, every year it's a bunch of new grads and every year they work well."
To make it worth while for the Dry Grad committee, they are paid for set up and take down and also get concession profits, she added.
Sigurdson was also a Girl Guides leader when her daughter was a participant and as her daughter grew out of it, she continued to volunteer for a total of 15 years.
As if she's not busy enough, Sigurdson has also maintained a licensed daycare for the last 24 years.
Her volunteerism continues to come full circle when she sees children from her daycare come help with the craft fair through the Dry Grad committee. This year, she sees four students she had in her daycare.
Sigurdson enjoys supporting the community during their major events and volunteered her time at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 2000 and at the Canada Winter Games in 2015.
"I couldn't volunteer until the evenings so I would go in and they'd tell me where they needed me, and I would move from job to job and I really enjoyed that because I wasn't stuck to one thing," said Sigurdson. "And if I'm still in good health I'll volunteer for the Summer Games when they come in 2022 and I do all this because I just love working with people. It's as simple as that."
The Citizen's The Volunteer City series will feature local volunteers each week who have previously received little or no public recognition for their efforts. If you know someone who fits that description, send me a note at [email protected] or give me a call at The Citizen (250-960-2773).
Flip through The Citizen's Volunteer City series, featuring stand-out volunteers in Prince George:
