Christmas is still a few months away, but the Bearspaw Lifestyle Centre (BLC) will celebrate the season early when its 37th annual Fall and Christmas Market runs Oct. 25 to 27 at 253220 Bearspaw Road.
BLC’s office and program manager, Kim Perraton, is helping organize the event this year, after being handed the reins from long-standing organizer Maureen Unland.
“I would like to thank Maureen Unland for her 26 years of involvement with this market,” Perraton said. “She’s recently passed it onto us, and this is a transition year and a huge learning year. We’re very thankful for the roots she’s left for us.”
More than 90 vendors are lined up to sell wares throughout the three days, Perraton said.
“We are one of the first markets of the season,” she said. “We’re not as large as Millarville’s or Spruce Meadows, but I’d definitely say we’re one of the largest in northwest Calgary.”
The nearly 100 vendors will come from across Alberta, according to Perraton, as well as some from British Columbia. The products available for purchase will include a range of handcrafted goods, she added, such as knit clothing, jewellery, glassware and woodwork.
Last year, between 3,500 and 4,000 people attended the market, according to Perraton. She added BLC is expecting a small increase this year.
As one of the first markets of the season, Perraton said, the Bearspaw market offers people a chance to get a head start on their Christmas shopping.
“As a crafting community, I think we all try to not step on each other’s toes,” she said. “We try to have one of the first markets of the Christmas season, just so we’re not falling on some of the other markets.”
Perraton said the market’s growth in recent years is thanks to BLC’s recent shift toward social media and digital marketing. BLC promotes the event on Facebook and Twitter, and she added the centre is aiming to eventually create an Instagram page, as well.
“We can watch our marketing groups on Facebook and our prime target is [people aged] 25 to 44, which I would think is a heavy social media-use group,” she said.
The sense of community in Bearspaw has kept the long-standing tradition alive for the last three-plus decades, Perraton noted.
“Bearspaw is definitely a beautiful location,” she said. “We’re rural and have a fantastic sense of community out here – it’s just a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the city.”
Admission to the market is $3. The event kicks off at 10 a.m. each day and runs until 5 p.m., except Oct. 25, when it runs until 8 p.m.
