Meadow Lake’s largest Christmas market returns with over 100 vendors and an extra day

Afterward, she surveyed the public about what people liked and what they wanted changed. Some said they had been out of town and unable to attend. They asked her to run the show over two days, prompting the addition of Friday evening.

“If we could hit 3,000 shoppers, I mean, that would just be incredible,” Stremick said.

The feedback also shaped what shoppers will find at the booths.

“When I received feedback from the community last year on products that they were wanting to see, I spent hours scouring the internet, looking up vendors from other markets.”

She contacted potential vendors by email, through social media and at markets she attended, looking for products that were not available locally. Others approached her after hearing positive reports from vendors who participated last year.

The lineup includes returning sellers and newcomers offering wild rags, handmade chocolates from internationally award-winning chocolatier The Jewelled Cocoa Bean in Lloydminster, fresh bread and baking, and hair and skin-care gift packages.

Requests for more children’s offerings led her to recruit two vendors selling different styles of handmade children’s clothing. Shoppers will also find baby blankets and hooded towels with cartoon characters.

Local author Lisa Adair will attend with books for adults and graphic novels.

For people planning their shopping, Stremick has been posting vendor spotlights in the market’s Facebook group, where sellers are also sharing the products they will bring.

Her advice at the market is simple.

“Do a walkthrough first, lay your eyes, then you can get excited about the things you’re seeing and then do a second lap that will allow you to purchase the things that you want the most,” she explained.

“But also every time you do a second walkthrough, you’re finding things that you didn’t see before as well.”

The show runs Friday, Nov. 13, from 4 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children 12 and under get in free both days.

The Meadow Lake Hospital Foundation will collect and keep all admission proceeds on Friday. The Northwest Community Lodge Association will do the same on Saturday.

Stremick did not charge admission last year. When she surveyed shoppers about introducing a fee to benefit a local organization, she said 99 per cent of the hundreds of responses she received indicated it would not prevent them from attending.

Both organizations approached her early in this year’s planning about participating. Having the groups at the door will also allow visitors to hear about their work and how the money might be used, she said.

The humane society will attend both days with animals available for adoption for visitors to meet. It will also sell pet goodies and stocking stuffers to raise money for its work.

On Saturday morning, the hospital foundation will hold a pancake breakfast and Santa photos upstairs at the Co-op Centre, coinciding with the market.

Stremick said shoppers also stopped at her booth last year to thank her for hosting the event again.

“It was very inspiring, and it felt really good to be able to provide that to all these people who were missing it.”

—

Kenneth.cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung

Meadow Lake’s largest Christmas market returns with over 100 vendors and an extra day

What's Trending