Weather doesn't dampen spirits at Witches Day Out
The weather Saturday turned Witches Day Out into Witches Day In.
The craft show, running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., just moved inside the Sons & Daughters of Italy, 338 S. Main St.
Attendees moved about vendors selling clothing, crystals, wine glasses, all-natural soaps and other crafts; sampled drinks such as Witches Brew and Drunk Witch, created especially for the occasion; and sampled food, including stuffed cabbage and turkey balls, stuffing with mashed potatoes and turkey in the center, coated with egg and bread crumbs and then deep fried and served with a side of cranberry sauce.
Charmaine Fetterman, a member of the Sons & Daughters of Italy, who was the event organizer and cook, said 22 vendors were offering their wares.“Considering the rain, I'm very pleased with the turnout,” she said. “There are specialty drinks at the bar, and people are coming in for that. We also have food for eat-in or takeout.”Brookelle Bergbigler, was serving up Witches Brew (a vodka, pineapple juice and blue curacao cocktail) and Drunk Witch, (a vodka, blue curacao, grenadine and Sprite concoction). “They've been a hit so far,” she said. “I found the recipes online and just sort of tweaked it for us here.”Sharon Trombatt and her daughter, Emma Birckbichler, both of Butler, were manning a table selling socks, decorative plates, wine glasses and other home-crafted items. Trombatt was pleased with the turnout.“It's been pretty good this morning,” she said.Michelle Iman, owner of Iman Design of Butler, said her pumpkin T-shirts and sweatshirts were popular.She said she started her business in 2006 screen printing speciality clothing for businesses. With the pandemic, her customers dried up as businesses closed and she turned to selling at craft shows, in addition to online, to pick up the slack.“Now I just enjoy it. It's so much fun,” she said of her craft show experiences.Fellow clothing seller Ashleigh Oesterling of Butler, owner of Topaz Temperance Clothing Co., said her Mystic Moon Bee Shirt was proving popular.With the purchase of each bee T-shirt, she said, buyers get a packet of seeds to plant next spring to attract bees. And, she added, a portion of each sale goes to the Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit group promoting the health of pollinators it calls critical to food and ecosystems.Alex Chrzanowski of Butler was selling Bare Elements all-natural, vegan and plastic free soaps, deodorants and shampoos for his friends Jesse Davis and Alana Knox of New Castle. “Everything can be thrown in a compost pile when you are done with it,” he said.Browser Colleen Butka of Butler was pleased with the selections on hand. “I bought a distressed hoodie and a distressed T-shirt. I go to a lot of craft shows,” she said.Lindsay Denham and Vincent and Emersyn Moore, all of Butler, were browsing the selections in costume.“It was Witches Day Out,” Vincent Moore explained.
