by Ardeana Hamlin of The Weekly Staff ORONO — Since 1974, the University of Maine Alumni Association Homecoming Craft Fair and Maine Marketplace has been a highlight of homecoming weekend at the university. It is an event looked forward to by students, faculty, alumni, Orono residents, and other from the Bangor area and beyond. Last year, that pleasure was absent from homecoming weekend activities due to a $15 million renovations project being done on the University of Maine Field House, where the fair is held. Now that the renovations are complete, the craft fair once again will be an integral part of homecoming activities. The fair will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, at the field house. “It’s a beautiful location, with bright lights and colors, a nice, exciting atmosphere. There is much more natural light and [craft fair] vendors [and fair goers] will love it — it is UMaine atmosphere for sure now,” said Chris Corro, director of Alumni Programs at the University of Maine Alumni Association, commenting on the field house’s new look. “We’re really looking forward to it after not having it for a year. A lot of alumni [indicated they] missed it last year.” As for the craft fair itself, Corro said, it will offer more than 200 vendors, the same as in the past. “We filled all our spaces. The fair is one of the largest in the area. We have a lot of good vendors to choose from,” she said. The fair will offer — to name only a few categories — handmade jewelry, pottery, knitted items, Native American art, folk art, fleece items, items for pets, hand bags, tote bags, quilts, clothing, ceramics, products made of wood, candles, paintings and metal work. Food vendors will offer homemade jams, jellies, pickles and other items fair goers can purchase to take home. The fair’s Food Cafe will serve up sandwiches, hot soups, lobster rolls, fudge, popcorn, candy and dessert items. “People like to stop in [at the Food Cafe] to have something to eat at halftime during the football game,” Corro said. “The vendors are excited to be back,” Corro said. “We have a few new ones this year. All are Maine vendors — from Fort Kent to Kittery — we don’t draw vendors from out of state.” Corro said it’s a 10-month process to get the craft fair up and running. She began contacting vendors in February, checking to see which ones wanted to come back, communicating with them to determine if they wanted the same spot in the field house, etc. In April, she began contacting vendors on her waiting list to fill vacant spots. Typically, she said, there is a one- to two-year wait to obtain vendor space at the craft fair. “This is my 12th year coordinating the craft fair,” Corro said. “Before that, I was just a customer like everyone else. It has been interesting to be on both sides of the craft fair.” She said planning for and implementing the craft fair takes many hands to make it go, including Diane Muir, program assistant with the UMaine Alumni Association. “We couldn’t do it without the rest of the Alumni Association staff’s help and other volunteers. It takes at least 18 people,” she said. As in past years, shuttle buses will run from the Collins Center for the Arts to carry craft fair goers to the field house. “This is something we have always done,” Corro said. She encourages fair goers to park in the lots in the vicinity of the Collins Center. “The vendors are excited, we’re excited, and hopefully the community will be excited [about the return of the craft fair], too,” Corro said. Craft fair admission is $1, free to children under 12 and to students with UMaine ID. For information, go to umainealumni.com.
University of Maine Homecoming Craft Fair is back
