Mason church celebrates Christmas in July with craft event

Although this is the first year for the event, the idea has been two years in the making.

The idea was inspired by the Mason Ohio Star Quilters, who have held their meetings for the past 25 years at the Church. Typically, the Mason Ohio Star Quilters donate their finished pieces to children in need, but the Church wanted to host an event where anyone could shop the products they make.

However, the Homemade Craft Bazaar was paused due to COVID-19. Even though the event was delayed, Fran Kester, a member of the Mason Ohio Star Quilters, said the all the members kept quilting, and now they have over 500 items to sell. These items include baby quilts, pillowcases, pot holders, Christmas ornaments, placemats, microwave holders, jewelry bags and more.

Kester said she is excited they can finally hold the event because the Mason Ohio Star Quilters want to give back to the Church that has hosted their group for over 20 years.

“I’m looking forward to talking with shoppers that come in ..., and we’re looking forward to the proceeds from the things we’ve made because it will all be donated back to the Methodist Church,” Kester said.

Burns said he saw how hard the pandemic affected the Mason Ohio Star Quilters and other small businesses, so he decided to open the Homemade Craft Bazaar to other crafters.

“We wanted to hold this event to celebrate Christmas in July and celebrate things opening up again,” Burns said.

Bob Desgrange is one of the small business owners showcasing his work at the Homemade Craft Bazaar. Desgrange is the founder and owner of I’d Rather Be Woodturning, specializing in homemade wood-turned bowls.

Desgrange said he is looking forward to talking with people about wood and encourages people to come to the event to support the crafters.

“It’s important to keep people’s interest in what they want to do and have a community follow them,” Desgrange said.

The event will be hosted at Mason United Methodist Church from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 23. Burns said there is still room available for crafters interested in being a vendor. For additional pricing and information, interested vendors can contact Burns at jburns@masonumc.org. The last day to register for a spot is July 20.