WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Not everyone on Patti Files Rodriguez’s list gets one of her painstakingly assembled, colored and embossed creations.
“You only get a handmade card if you’re card-worthy,” Files Rodriguez, of West Lebanon, explained as she stamped a greeting on a medallion that would grace the front of one of 40 cards she plans to make for friends and relatives. “Everyone else gets the 25 cent kind.”
With the shopping days quickly melting away, retail strips were plenty packed on Saturday. But dashing through big box stores in search of the latest gadgets was hardly the only option for Upper Valley residents. The card-making workshop at the Hartford Town Hall was one of numerous homespun alternatives taking place throughout the region.
Karen McNall, an administrative assistant for the town of Hartford, started the card-making workshops about a year and half ago after moving to Sharon from Fairfax, Vt.
“I didn’t know anybody when I came here. This has helped me make friends,” said McNall, who also sells cards at craft fairs.
Seven people joined her for the all-day event, most of them seasoned card makers. At the end of the session they’d go home with eight handmade cards. Munching on candy and brownies and cracking jokes as they colored, glued, stamped and cut, the crafters were in no rush.
“Must gab. Must eat. I think that’s a rule,” Files Rodriguez said.
In an era of digital communication, there’s something special about receiving a handmade card, said McNall, who provides all the materials and instructions for the cards, assembling different patterns in pre-cut kits.
“Not a lot of people send cards anymore,” she said. “A hand-stamped card is like sending happiness in the mail.”
Just a short walk from the Town Hall, a faster-paced scene filled St. Anthony’s Church. There, dozens of people zigzagged up and down rows of handmade crafts displayed on and around Christmas trees, packed take-out boxes with homemade cookies, placed bids on silent auction items, and rummaged through the treasures in an indoor yard sale.
“I try to count everyone,” said Jim Flanagan, who organizes the annual church bazaar with his wife, Vicki. “We probably get 600 people a year.”
The bazaar brings in about $20,000 for the church. Many of the crafters start getting together in the spring to make the placemats, table runners, pillows and ornaments, which they plan around different themes, said Charlotte Merrill, who heads up the craft team. This year, they made a storybook tree, a woodland tree, a moon and stars tree (with plenty of Star Wars ornaments) and a nativity tree, to name a few.
One of the most popular items this year turned out to be a felt ornament featuring a car carrying a Christmas tree, Merrill said. A dozen handmade hummingbird feeders also sold out shortly after the doors opened.
“Slowly but surely we’ve built momentum, and people have gotten to know about us,” Merrill said.
Things can get a little crazy at the annual chowder fest and silent auction at the United Methodist Church, too — at least toward the end, when guests often return to raise their bids on items including catered dinners, jugs of maple syrup, tanks of propane and homemade desserts.
“Coconut cream pie is always a big seller,” said Donna Wright, who was overseeing the auction Saturday.
Tickets to the church’s turkey suppers — which come with the right to cut the line — are also a hit. “We’re famous for our turkey suppers,” said Wright, who’s been attending the church her whole life.
But the quirkiest gifts on offer on Saturday were courtesy of Wright’s father, Harold Wright, a nonagenarian who’s been part of the church community since the 1940s. For the right price, a bidder could win “play time” with Wright’s prize-winning steers, which included feeding them a snack, learning some basic driving skills and having a photo taken with the pair.
“They don’t do any work. They’re just big pets,” said Wright, who was enjoying some homemade seafood chowder and showing off pictures of steers Jake and Gus.
Wright himself was also on the auction list.
“Soup and stories with Grandpa: Enjoy a bowl of homemade soup and learn about the history of Hartford, the Jersey Cow, or topic of your choice,” the description read.
The high bid, as of 12:30 p.m., was $100.
“It always sells very well,” Donna Wright said.
Sarah Earle can be reached at searle@vnews.com or 603-727-3268.