The 17th annual Holiday Expo will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Montgomery County 4-H Building.
The holiday spirit will be in full glow with more than 30 vendors offering a variety of items, homemade jellies and jams, woodworking, floral arrangement, quilting, plus many other vendors. The special treat will be the baked goods and noodles made by the Extension Homemakers. Ashleigh Summer, “Sunshine in a Box,” will offer special foods to try while shopping.
Originally the event was called the “Holiday Creative Arts and Crafts Bazaar.” The first one was conduced Nov. 11, 1985. At that time it was a two-day affair opening on a Friday and continuing Saturday.
In 2007, “The Holiday Expo-Shopper’s Paradise” was revamped to a one-day event and the name changed. However, the purpose behind the expo has not changed. Montgomery County Extension Homemakers are a non-profit public charitable foundation. The expo is its only fundraiser.
Montgomery County Extension Homemakers’ mission is to strengthen families through continuing education, leadership development and volunteerism to support our community. We provide education, cultural arts experiences, and leadership training to our members allowing them to showcase their talents in their community to serve others.
Last year, Extension Homemakers in Montgomery County donated 1,381 items, volunteered 2,305 hours, and gave more than $5,500 to community programs. Listed are the programs we helped: Riley Cheer Guild, Mountie Mission, Trinity Mission , Goodwill, Purdue Cancer Research, Lew Wallace, Sunshine Society, FISH, Lord’s Closet, Meals on Wheels, Literacy Attainment in elementary schools, Mental Health, Family Crisis Center, Animal Welfare League, First Books (Head Start), 4-H programs, Pam’s Promise, Food Pantry and Women’s Resource Center.
Members also made special holiday favors and lap blankets for the nursing homes; crocheted shawls for the Indiana Donor Network; sent coupons, magazines, Girl Scout cookies, games and puzzles to the military; collected 20 pounds of pop tabs for Riley; and distributed “Boxes of Care” to the homeless and less fortunate in the county.
