Chumstick Grange to host Christmas Craft Fair

LEAVENWORTH – For three weekends in December, the Chumstick Grange will fill with creative and handmade holiday gifts for its Christmas Craft Fair.

The craft fair will host about 12 to 20 local artisans selling goods such as soap, candles and jewelry. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7, 13 and 14, 20 and 21.The Chumstick Grange is located at 621 Front Street.

“Come support your local businesses and vendors…I would say probably at least 60 to 70 percent are Leavenworth, Cashmere, Dryden, local [vendors],” said event co-organizer Michelle Kocher.

For the last few years, the grange has been rented out for the craft fair, but this year the Chumstick Grange is hosting the event itself. Kocher hopes the craft fair will serve as an opportunity to support local businesses as well as garner support for the grange. The historic grange was originally created to support local agriculture and the community, such as offering a youth fair program. However, the grange has had a decline in participation in recent years, primarily due to an aging generation of members.

“‘I enjoy teaching others about agriculture, different aspects of agriculture, whether it be animal husbandry, growing crops, planting a garden to processing…The grange used to teach a lot of canning classes and that type of stuff,” said Kocher. “Eventually we'd like to get back to that, once we have more members and more people who are willing to teach others those skills.”

Visitors to the craft fair will have the opportunity to learn more about the grange, its opportunities, and how to get involved.

“[I’m excited] to just talk to more people and teach more people about the grange,” said Kocher.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media