The biannual craft fair was held earlier this morning and afternoon for vendors to display their exceptional work. Needless to say, the first craft fair of 2023 was a hit for sellers and goers.

Vendors brought in a diverse range of goods from candles to crochet projects, clothing and jewelry.

“We have lots of stuff from candles and body butters, bath bombs, handmade soap, handmade jewelry. And we have a lot of woodworking stuff, like my husband takes care of the wood part, I take care of more like the jewelry and the bath and body part,” Marzena Rudyk from Pure Joy for You said, “A little bit of everything for everybody.”

Rudyk and her husband have felt the community aspect of being at Smoky to present their handmade vendibles.

“I feel very part of this community and I’m surprised because we attend a lot of like markets and shows. And this one is actually different. You have a lot of different stuff than I usually see in the oldest kinds of markets,” Rudyk said.

Others have been carefully perfecting their crafts starting at a young age.

“I specialize in knitted hats and crocheted animals,” Angelique Brining, a frequent Smoky Hill Craft Fair vendor said, “I learned to crochet when I was six years old. It kind of went away while I was a teenager, probably and a young adult, and then I picked it back up.”

Brining, amongst other vendors, shares the same connection in starting with a hobby and developing it into a passion and small business.

“I love candles. I burned them all the time at home. So I kind of just started making candles for myself and then made some for some friends and started decorating them and just went from there,” Tricia Smith from BCC: Balance Candle Co said, “My candles are 100% soy wax made with ballet free fragrance oils, the candles all are white natural color and they have a hidden gemstone inside of the candle in addition to flowers and gemstones on the top.”

Smith’s creative business is derived from her personal love for candles and fresh scents. The one-of-a-kind element of her candles is the hidden gemstone inside each candle.

Amongst the community of vendors, the crafts and goods they deliver to the general public are just one activity they partake in in their day-to-day lives.

“I have a full-time job and then I make all of [these crocheted goods] on the side,” Brining said.

The small businesses created by vendors themselves aren’t the only careers being pursued. Many driven vendors are finding the balance between their full-time jobs and the part-time job of producing their own arts and crafts to be sold.

“I have a website and an online business,” Smith said, “So I work full time at a high school.”

Many small business owners proved their commitment and excellence to their personal crafts for the pleasure of their peers, families, and community.

Ultimately, the Smoky Hill 39th Annual Spring Craft Fair allowed vendors from nearby areas to feature and promote their brands, small business, or simple side hobbies for goers to support. During the fall of 2023, anyone who wishes to participate in the upcoming Smoky Hill Fall Craft Fair can look forward to being involved.

For more information, visit Smoky Hill PTCO.