Arts and Crafts Fair Sunday Will Benefit Shorewood Athletics

At the 32nd annual Arts and Crafts Fair Sunday, 130 artists will sell their wares at in the biggest Shorewood Booster Club fundraiser that goes toward the salary for the athletic trainer, sports uniforms and other supplies.

Booster Club Fundraiser and Membership Chair Bonnie Adams said she hopes the event this year will bring in about $20,000. They have already collected more than $11,000 in rentals from the vendors, and hope to have over 2,000 people paying admission into the fair at $4 each. A lunch, silent auction and spirit wear sale will also bring in revenue.

The wide variety of vendors from throughout the Midwest will sell clothing, artwork, food, furniture and other items.

"There's something for everyone," Adams said. "We have someone that makes hot chocolate on a stick, and someone who makes 30 types of tortilla chips. You have your basics, and you some that are like, 'Oh my God.'"

Adams said the fair comprises about 60 percent of the booster club budget, with the rest coming from membership drives. She said in the past, donations from the club have made up about 28 percent of the district's athletic budget, with its primary expenditures being half the athletic trainer's salary and all sports uniforms.

The fair runs on the manpower of at least 60 volunteers, many of whom are athletes. Adams said about 57 percent of the student body is part of at least one sport, and every team signs up for a two-hour shift.

"They're the best part of doing this because they know they're getting something out of this," Adams said.

The booster club also pays for supplies at the elementary schools, such as climbing mats at and outdoor basketball hoops at .

"We are far-reaching," Adams said. "Anybody that is 'playing' benefits from us."

Adams has been organizing the fair as a volunteer for 12 years. This could be her last year, as her youngest graduates from high school.

"I do believe that if everyone gives something back, it makes a difference in the big picture," she said. "I've had all my children in the past play sports and that was something I thought I could do."

She said she hopes someone will continue running the fair in her stead, but recognized that it's hard to get people involved with the big task, which she gets started on the day after the previous fair ends.

"People still haven't grasped what this really does, because we're sort of the basics," Adams said. "We don't go out and have our names stamped not the uniforms and on the trainer, so people assume it's paid by the schools. I think a lot of other booster clubs in Wisconsin are out there doing more of the celebrating, where we're trying to just keep things going. It's more fun to think, 'Oh, that's a party group,' and we're like, 'Yes, we got another pair of shorts today!' It doesn't have the same marketability."

The fair runs 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the high school arena and north gym.