FULDA -- There may not be any snow on the ground, but the sheer number of snowmen inside the Fulda High School on Saturday more than made up for the lack of white stuff outside.
The 36th annual Fulda Women of Today Holiday Craft Bazaar and Women's Expo show goers packed the gymnasium and hallways Saturday, perusing the offerings that ranged from jewelry to holiday decorations, all hand-crafted and up for sale.
Fuzzy hats and warm mittens were displayed on tables next to baked goods, stuffed bears and, or course, snowmen. Snowmen (and women) that lit up, snowmen painted in screens, snowmen on towels, blankets and aprons, and snowmen for sitting on shelves, hanging on walls and displaying on tables.
Although many of the items for sale featured holiday themes, there was plenty that did not. Sports-themed metal wall hangings shared the gym with racks of hand-made doll clothes and prints of pencil drawings.
Eric Miller of Windom displayed framed photos of everything from flags to old cars.
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"I started taking pictures in 4-H when I was a kid," said Miller, who grew up in Fulda. "This is my first time at this show."
Miller uses mostly digital photography these days, but started out using film back in his 4-H days. Most of his photos were taken locally, but there were some from the Black Hills, northern Minnesota and other places where a scene had caught his eye.
"Minnesota is a great place to take photos," Miller stated. "There is so much variety."
Plenty of people had stopped at his booth to peruse his framed photographs and card prints.
There are a lot of people here," he said, then noted a pattern to their shopping behavior. "They seem to have a strategy. They go through everything and look, then head back to booths to buy."
Miller's photos can be viewed at www.eric-millerphotography.com .
In the back hallway of the high school, large pieces of furniture made of logs and lumber dominated the corner. Gwen Homer of FBT Sawmill Lumber and Country Furniture said their company had just started doing shows again after a fire burned the Steen business to the ground less than two years ago.
"There are a lot of people here and a lot of interest," she said, adding that they had just as many shoppers at the Fulda show as they saw in a Sioux Falls, S.D. show last week.
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"Guys love coming to our booth," she commented with a chuckle.
Not only was FBT displaying tables, chairs, fire place mantles and other furniture, they also had a spot set up for kids to create projects.
"One of our artists just finished helping a little boy make a walking stick for his grandpa," Homer said. "We like to have craft projects for the kids."
Besides making rustic furniture, FBT Sawmill, owned by Erwin and Jan Bonestroo, custom cuts logs, cuts specialty wood for artists, provides kiln services and markets grade wood, pallet wood and non-grade lumber. For more information, check out their Web site at fbtsawmill.com or visit them on Facebook by searching for FBT Sawmill.
