The local chapter of the Lady Shriners of Alaska held its first holiday craft fair this weekend to raise money for the Kenai Peninsula Food Bank and the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

Beverley Koenig-Jones, associate princess of Waheed Court 81 and vice president of the local Tugi II club of the Lady Shriners, said Saturday that it was a fairly quiet inaugural weekend for the fair, which was consistent with the reception she’s seen at other fundraising events the Lady Shriners have attempted this year.

“I’m ways and means chair for the Waheed Court, and it (fundraising) has been awful,” Koenig-Jones said. The virtual fundraising efforts made necessary by the COVID-19 pandemic have seen much less engagement than traditional fundraisers, Koenig-Jones said, but that has not discouraged the Lady Shriners from continuing their work to raise money for children in Alaska who require treatment at one of the Shriners Hospitals elsewhere in the country.

“You know we have such wonderful membership, and they all chip in whatever they can, doing bake sales and things like that,” Koenig-Jones said. “This was our very first craft fair, and this year has just been really different.”

For Sara Rodriguez, a local artist and owner of Elisa’s, this was the first craft fair of the season. Rodriguez said that 10% of each vendor’s sales went toward the donations for the event, which allowed her to still make some money from her products while supporting local charities.

Dillian Spicer and her mom, Trixie Spicer, said that the crowd had picked up a little bit on Saturday. Dillian said her hand-painted drink tumblers were selling well. The Spicers had three generations of art for sale: cups and glassware painted by Dillian, signs painted by Trixie and wood sculptures carved by Trixie’s father.

In addition to the crafts available for purchase, the Lady Shriners were selling tickets at a dollar apiece for a number of door prizes, including a complimentary stay at Land’s End Resort in Homer and a $100 gift card for the Resort’s restaurant, the Chart Room.

To learn more about the Lady Shriners of Alaska, visit waheed81.org.

Reach reporter Brian Mazurek at bmazurek@peninsulaclarion.com.

Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion Holly Hicks, right, of Tennessee looks at some of the crafts made by Trixie Spicer, left, and her father and daughter during the inaugural Lady Shriner’s Craft Far at the Kenai Soldotna Shrine Club on Saturday. Also pictured: Leana Soaries, Spicer’s granddaughter.

Michelle Ravenmoon of Soldotna, owner of Ravenmoon Dena’ina Art, displays some of her wares during the inaugural Lady Shriner’s Craft Far at the Kenai Soldotna Shrine Club in Soldotna, Alaska on Dec. 5, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Sara Rodriguez of Kenai displays some of her wares during the inaugural Lady Shriner’s Craft Far at the Kenai Soldotna Shrine Club in Soldotna, Alaska on Dec. 5, 2020. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)