NEWBURY — Folks looking to support activities at the Council on Aging while also adding some handmade crafts to their collection will have multiple opportunities with two craft fairs on the schedule for November.
The first event will be held at the COA on Thursday.
“Our knitting group will also be holding their own little fair,” COA Director Cindy Currier said.
She said the members love to show off their creations.
“They make a lot of different homemade items, scarves, blankets and all kinds of crafts made by residents right here in town. It’s a great way to support the knitting group,” Currier said.
The event will be sandwiched between the COA’s monthly Traveling Chef event to give folks a chance to enjoy both.
“People can come early for the chef, stay after, or just come in for the knitting fair,” Currier said.
On Nov. 15, the Friends of the COA will host its annual holiday boutique at Newbury Town Library from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“It supports our Friends group, and we really appreciate when people go over there, there’s always great stuff,” Currier said.
The event is set to feature about 18 vendors.
“All craftspeople selling handmade items. Last year, they had soap, jewelry, local honey and other homemade goods,” Currier said.
The event will also have raffles, with one of the prizes being a quilt made by the Friends group.
A similar quilt was raffled at the COA’s Know Your Community Fair in October.
She said it is one of the biggest fundraisers that the Friends group does to help fund the COA’s various programs.
Discussing the choice to have the boutique not at the COA this year, she said it was held in the building last year in the middle of the week and felt it was not accessible enough.
“This year it’s moving to the library on Saturday. That really opens it up to more people,” Currier said.
In a statement to The Daily News, the library staff said they were excited to host the event.
“We are happy to host them, and we hope the event goes well,” the staff said.
Currier said having it at the library also helps remove the stigma that you have to be an older person to attend a COA event.
“Some people feel like they can’t come to the Council on Aging because it’s not their age group. Anyone’s welcome, of course, but hosting it at the library helps break down that wall in people’s minds,” Currier said.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.