17th Annual Arts and Crafts Fair This Month

This is a great time to come out and see some of the best arts and crafts items that Green Country has to offer.

The Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association’s 17th annual Arts and Crafts Fair is Saturday, September 19 at Central Park Community Center (1500 S. Main). This is a great time to come out and see some of the best arts and crafts items that Green Country has to offer.

“We always try to have a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts items available,” says Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association’s Laurann Farris, who is chairing the fair. “We have over 75 vendors lined up so far. We’ll have quilted items, kitchen and garden items, gourmet foods for purchase, men’s items such as hunting apparel and camouflage wallets, many kinds of jewelry, shirts, scarves and more. One vendor makes waterproof lunch bags. Frank Arnett, who does such wonderful woodworking, will be there with a special display of castles and catapults.” Blue Star Mothers will be handling the concessions. They will also be accepting donations for soldiers stationed overseas.

The Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association was founded by a group of Broken Arrow businesses to promote community spirit and improve the vitality of downtown. They have provided holiday lights for parks and storefronts and supplied banners for the light posts on Main Street, supported the Broken Arrow Historical Society, and worked with the Vision 2025 committee to improve downtown Broken Arrow.

“The Arts and Crafts Fair is one of our bigger fundraisers,” says Farris. “Last year we had over a thousand people come out, and it helped fund our Fun and Games on Main event at the end of October. It’s a great event that helps bring people downtown. Downtown Broken Arrow is a family, and we try to look after each other.”

One of the fair’s vendors will be Millsap Crafts, a family business that specializes in handmade tepees. “We bought a tepee at a fair 17 years ago and thought it was great, so we’ve been making them ever since,” says Millsap Crafts’ Terri Willms. “In that time, we’ve made over a thousand. The frames are made of sturdy, ­sanded and stained wood, and everything is handmade.” Millsap Crafts also offers flower presses, garden aprons and bags, and dolls.

The Merchants Association still has room for more vendors. A 12-foot-by-12-foot booth is available for the event for $45. “We try to keep the fee down so new crafters and vendors can get a start and join us,” says Farris. “And all our vendors get a gift bag full of items donated by our merchants.” Vendors can set up inside the Community Center Friday evening or Saturday morning.

The Arts and Crafts Fair promises to be a fun event – but that’s not all that’s going on in downtown Broken Arrow. “We’ll have a farmers market that same morning,” says Farris. “The fair is also a great time to come and check out the new stores on Main Street.”

The Arts and Crafts Fair is Saturday, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact the Broken Arrow Main Street Merchants Association. You can visit them on the web at www.brokenarrow­downtown.com. You can visit Millsap Crafts on the web at www.millsapcrafts.com. 

For more information, contact

Broken Arrow Main Street

www.brokenarrow­downtown.com