Madison Shumway
Staff Writer
A holiday fair hosted by the ISU Women’s Club to raise money for student scholarships will take place on Nov. 4 and 5 in the SUB ballroom.
The fair, which will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, will feature work by local artisans, as well as gift basket auctions and raffles. Attendees can purchase handmade gifts and eat lunch or baked goods.
“You give twice,” said Women’s Club publicity chair Susanne Forrest. “You give the gift you give to someone, and you give to students at the same time. It’s exponential – gift-giving to the square.”
The club organizes the fair each year, as it has for the past 46 years, and funnels its proceeds into three annual $3000 scholarships.
This year, the fair will include 40 vendors selling paintings, jewelry, photography, stained glass, paper and textiles, pottery, knitted goods, purses, holiday ornaments and more, all handmade.
Vendors donate 20 percent of their proceeds to the scholarship fund.
Themed baskets donated by university departments will be auctioned, and attendees can win baskets put together by Women’s Club members in a raffle. Items up for grabs, donated by local businesses, include symphony and theatre tickets, dinners and hotel stays.
Shoppers can purchase gifts for loved ones and enjoy the atmosphere at the holiday fair while contributing to the Women’s Club scholarship fund, said fair chair Jody Finnegan.
“I think it’s a great way to support the university,” she said. “It’s a great way to support our students and have fun at the same time.”
The club will run several booths at the fair, including Upscale Resale and Heartfelt Creations.
The first sells gently used items donated by club members, such as holiday decorations, artwork, knickknacks and books. At the Heartfelt Creations booth, attendees can buy crafts and baked goods made by members.
This year a collection of over 100 vintage dolls, a gift from a Women’s Club supporter who collected dolls for years with her mother, will be sold.
Shoppers can eat at an enchilada lunch Friday at 11 a.m.; a longtime Women’s Club member provided the recipe.
Clam chowder and hot dogs—traditional holiday fair fare—will also be served, as well as the pies and cakes baked by members. Seating will be located in the foyer by the Bengal Theatre.
The fair brings members together with their shared goal of providing scholarships, Finnegan said.
“I think it creates goodwill across campus and in the community and gives us a purpose to come together and raise money for the scholarships,” she said. “I’ve made some lifetime friends through this club … it’s just a great place to make good friends.”
In the spring the club hosts a scholarship luncheon and awards its three annual awards to ISU students.
Each $3000 scholarship goes to a junior woman, a College of Technology student and a child of an ISU employee.
The Women’s Club, which started as a faculty wives club in 1923, now opens its doors to all faculty and staff women, mothers, daughters and friends of faculty women and honorary male members.
“This club’s mission is to promote friendship across the campus and in the community, and to do things that hopefully advance the university and enhance the scholarships, helping ISU students,” Finnegan said.
