Residents Get Crafty at First Annual Craft Fair

Attendees of the first annual Craft Fair at the Moreno Valley Senior Center on Nov. 16, were greeted with an open room bustling with chatter and aglow with Christmas lights. Co-sponsored by the city of Moreno Valley and the Moreno Valley Arts Commission, the event was the first craft fair the city has held. Organizers ensured visitors had plenty of crafty options to choose from in this free-to-the-public event, and vendors sold an amalgam of handmade goods including knitted hats, sugared sweets, jewelry, art and more. Various vendors were featured, some introducing their brand new businesses, others spreading the word about theirs, and still others working toward garnering donations for private organizations like the Moreno Valley Police Department K9 Unit. Event organizers shared that vendor spaces were filled quickly and discussed efforts made by the city over the last few years to expand on art with participation from community members. Funds raised through $25 per table vendor pricing went toward the city's Art Commission, said Debby Johnson, an event coordinator and a member of the Moreno Valley Art and Cultural Commission, working behind her own fine arts table. "It's something to benefit the community and it's really exciting for all of us," she said. The many visitors perused the vendor tables and got started early this year on their holiday shopping.