Monica LaSalle, Nederland.   One of the biggest community events of the year, The Nederland Area Seniors and Serene Karplus put on another fabulous Holiday Mountain Market at the Nederland Community Center this past weekend. With everything from dancers, singers and musicians, all in their live performance best, to hot and tasty treats from the kitchen, this is the place to be if you want to catch up with those local friends that you don’t often run across in the daily rat race of life. Some of them are behind tables all set up to display their handmade crafts like pottery, ornaments, photography, jewelry and other cleverly put together gadgetry.

Others are bouncing between tables visiting and shopping while munching on samples our friends have alchemically manifested in kitchens to satiate our holiday appetites. Children meet up with friends and cruise the scene looking to spend birthday money or buy presents for their friends and loved ones.

Sara Shallhorn and longtime local chef Sean Boutot set up their baked donut table as a main attraction to their booth. With such a delectable draw, they are hoping that while folks munch, they will also shop for their towels, candles, signs and t-shirts that are all homemade and crafted from recyclables such as pressed corrugated cardboard, hand cut recycled bottles and linoleum blocks cut to make stencil stamps for t-shirts. They also sell their wares on flipsideletteringco.etsy.com.

Emily Bloomfield has been crafting since childhood and has made a career out of her visions with her business, Imaginings and Magical Things. Also on Etsy, Emily has been in business for 7 years and sells her items locally through Wild Bear Nature Center. Her decorations have a nature theme that evoke images of fairyland forests and the creatures contained there-in.

The Remaining Eye Laser is the brainchild of Skylar DeForest and is his first venture at starting and running his own business. At 13, Skylar is learning the ins and outs of creating his own products, marketing them and selling them for profit. His mother, Lysandra, is with him at the market supervising as he shows off his inventions. He has manufactured toys based on old designs, such as a “snake box” that flips a snake out of the top with the flick of a lever, or a top with unique designs that show off when spinning.

The market opens with a hugely popular attraction, the Mountain Movers. Spanning multiple age levels, a crowd of people gather to watch the dancers perform for their pleasure and in honor of the holiday season. Sequins and sparkles, bows and ribbons fly as the troupes perform majestically choreographed movements that never fail to delight parents and friends alike.

One of the highlights of the weekend event is, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus. Eyes widen with wonder as he walks in the door and takes his seat to begin to hear all the wishes from local children as they sit on his lap, tug on his beard and pose for pictures. Elves take pictures and hand out candy canes to children, satisfied that they have gotten their messages across to the man with the most.

All in all, the Holiday Mountain Market is a great opportunity to support our local artists and crafts persons, mingle with our friends and neighbors and support our seniors. Not to mention, a great place to buy holiday gifts and supplies!

(Originally published in the December 6, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)