Fairfield First Fridays to host Art Walk, Holiday Trade Fair

FAIRFIELD – Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk is preparing for two big events on back-to-back weekends.

Fairfield First Fridays will hold its December Art Walk on Friday, Dec. 5 from 6-9 p.m. Residents are invited to an open house hosted by Fairfield CoLab at 101 N. Court St., where they can learn about the organizations that call the CoLab home such as Fairfield First Fridays itself, Grow Fairfield, The Southeast Iowa Union and many more, plus the artists and rotating art galleries the building hosts throughout the year.

“It’s a good opportunity for our organizations to share what we did this year and what we have coming up next year,” said Fairfield First Fridays Director Marla Brader.

Brader noted that there will not be a Christmas movie shown, as previously advertised, since she felt that there were already so many Christmas events to choose from this weekend.

“I think it’s important for us to encourage people to see Santa in his house, drop off their Christmas letter, and get your photo ornament,” she said. “We didn’t want to take away from those traditions.”

Brader encourages residents to participate in the “Shop and Be Merry” going on that weekend, and Main Street Fairfield’s “Mingle & Jingle” from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday. She mentioned a few shops to visit during Friday’s Art Walk are Josie Hannes’ new shop inside her photography studio, Rose Witherspoon hosting a cooking demonstration at the At Home Store, and art galleries inside Americus Gallery, Cindy’s Art Supply Store, the Fairfield Art Association, ICON Gallery and the International Artisan Gallery in Central Park Furnishings.

The next weekend, on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13, Fairfield First Fridays Art Walk will put on the annual Holiday Trade Fair at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center. That event is from 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 12 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 13.

Brader has organized this event for the past eight years, and it’s now in its 16th year. She inherited the event from Donna Cingire, and when she presented the idea of taking on this responsibility to the art walk board, the members agreed it fit nicely with the organization’s mission.

“It’s a huge undertaking, but it’s fabulous every year,” Brader said.

This year’s event will have 75 vendors who collectively create a “one-stop shopping” experience. Vendors sell everything from homemade jewelry and pottery to gems to tie dye fiber art to cutting boards and everything in between. Brader recalled that, after getting exhausted from setting up a previous trade fair, she purchased a pair of slippers from one of the vendors to soothe her aching feet.

“If you’re looking for something for somebody who is hard to buy for, there are so many things at all price points,” Brader said. “If you have anything left on your shopping list, you should be able to find it, even if you’re just starting, like me.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com