By Andrew Goodell, BEAT reporter
Brunswick Recreation Center Craft Show
The holidays offered Medina County residents a variety of local options to purchase something special for those on their lists. Recently, the Brunswick Recreation Center played host to the Ninth Annual Kiwanis Christmas Craft Show.
As soon as visitors walked in, they were immediately greeted by cheerful Christmas music and over 90 amazing different crafters who proudly displayed their merchandise. An amazing variety of hand-crafted and unique wares were available to purchase.
"I love making crafts," explained Linda Hupert, craft show participant. "It's relaxing, and I enjoy sharing my creativity with others."
There was something for everyone, even those with the most discriminating of tastes. Items included unique household decorations made of seashells, to meticulously crafted wooden puzzle boxes, to homemade treats for one's four-legged friends. Some crafters even had homemade Christmas Cookies available for purchase. If a seller had something that a shopper was interested in, but it needed some 'slight tweaks', sellers were happy to take custom-orders and create a special holiday wish come true.
"Watching the shoppers enjoy and appreciate what I have created is so rewarding," explained Renee, another craft show participant.
The craft show was sponsored by the Brunswick Kiwanis, with the help of Lisa Nemeth, owner of Northcoast Promotions Inc. Nemeth's company helps to coordinate every aspect of the craft show, including advertising, securing crafters, and mentoring crafters in how to merchandise, price and display their products to make them more appealing to shoppers.
Also, Nemeth likes to help mentor kids on the art of crafting, and how to develop it into a potential business venture. "Kids are the next generation of crafters," said Nemeth. "They should be encouraged now so that they don't lose that passion and creativity."
"What might start off as a hobby now could one day morph into something different and be a potential career later in adulthood," she added.
Andrew Goodell, a sixth-grader at Edwards Middle School, is one of over fifty student "backpack journalists" (grades 6-12) in the award-winning BEAT Video Program. The program is sponsored by Scene75 (www.scene75.com), RPM, Plum Creek Assisted Living Community, Baskets Galore, Danbury Senior Living, Brunswick Eagles 3505, 100+ Women Who Care Medina, and the Brunswick Rotary Club. Go to www.thebeat22.com to learn more about the Program, or visit https://thebeat.viebit.com to view videos produced by the students.