There’s a celebration afoot of local seniors that promises to rival anything that’s been done before, and you are invited to help make it happen.
It all starts on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as the 5th annual Old Fashioned Christmas Craft Show welcomes shoppers to the Newmarket Seniors’ Meeting Place, 474 Davis Dr.
The show’s organizer and founder of the Grandparent Connection, Valerie Luttrell, said the well-attended event will again this year feature more than 75 mostly local crafters and artisans, including her own mother, Joan Syratt, 95, of Joan’s Dolls, who was the inspiration for the Christmas event.
“It’s just a really involved and fun old-fashioned show and it’s all crafts,” said Luttrell. “We try to make it enjoyable with the seniors at the forefront.”
The Lioness Club of Newmarket is back with their ever-popular Christmas cafe, which offers guests old-fashioned baked goods and Christmas treats that help to support the club.
A volunteer in period costume from Elman W. Campbell Museum will be there, along with carollers from Dr. John M. Denison Secondary School.
“We have some amazing grand prizes this year provided by TACC Construction,” Luttrell said. “We have Leafs and Raptors tickets.”
The Christmas craft show also offers guests the opportunity to participate in several community initiatives driven by the Grandparent Connection that are designed to make local seniors feel loved and appreciated.
That includes signing Christmas and birthday cards for seniors, which are delivered to local long-term care homes, and contributing gifts to the birthday bags for seniors program.
“I just think there are so many seniors in this town that go unrecognized and they’re a vital part of our community,” Luttrell said. “Their numbers are large in Ontario, we know from the census, but especially here in Newmarket and York Region, they outnumber children.”
“I think more emphasis needs to be on seniors right now because, let’s face it, all the rest of those baby boomers are going to be seniors soon,” she added.
In recognition of the area’s special seniors, Luttrell has started a new project called Ageless that puts the spotlight on them.
“We’re going to put together a video that celebrates seniors in our community, and it will be photographs, collages and movement, together with music,” she said, adding that the premiere will likely be in 2020.
Luttrell has issued a call for visitors to Saturday’s craft show, and anyone else who would like to contribute, to bring along a photograph of a senior who is special in their life or in the community for inclusion in the project.
Photos of seniors, which should include their first name, will be collected at the show.
A production crew is on the ready for the Ageless video project, including Luttrell’s daughter, Georgie Luttrell, a singer/songwriter, writer and director who will create original music for the video.
“We want to make the premiere like a red-carpet event for our seniors,” she said, adding that more information will follow in the new year. “It would be another great way to highlight and celebrate seniors that hasn’t been done in Newmarket before.”
Those who bring a photo of their special senior to Saturday’s craft show will receive an extra draw ticket for the grand prize Leafs and Raptors tickets, Luttrell said.
For more information about the 5th annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Craft Show and the vendors, the Grandparent Connection, and the Ageless video project, visit here or on Facebook.
