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Dorothy Cappe grew up in Port Dover, now lives in Brantford and visits Simcoe at least one a year.
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Cappe of Creations by Dorothy has been attending the annual Dickens Christmas Craft Show for more than 20 years.
“I do a lot of shows, more than 30 a year, but I have to say that this is my favorite,” Cappe said. “It’s the people.
“They’re really friendly and the show is really well organized.”
Cappe said she got a great corner spot on the auditorium floor one year and she’s been able to secure the same location every year.
“Not all shows let you do that,” Cappe said. “I like to know where I’m going to be and this is a great spot.
“I have a lot of people come back every year and I want them to be able to find me.”
Cappe works with stained glass to create colourful Christmas decorations as well as stained glass kaleidoscopes. She has sold a lot of her work over the years and enjoys the event because it raises funds for a charity.
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This year’s show was the 28th held by Youth Unlimited YFC Norfolk and vendors were encouraged to dress up in period costumes reflective of the Charles Dickens era.
A novelist and journalist, Dickens is the author of A Christmas Carol. He died in 1870.
Wearing a black coat, top hat and scarf, Dan Avey, director of Youth Unlimited, dressed up as Dickens for the fund-raising event.
“I always dress up as Dickens and I always look forward to it,” Avey said. “I like to get into the spirit of the event.
“This is an opportunity for us to raise awareness of our youth programs and give people an opportunity to purchase some original crafts for Christmas gifts.”
The event is one of four major fund-raising events held by the faith-based organization each year. The events help Youth Unlimited raise money to do even more work in the community.
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Youth Unlimited provides a range of programs for young people of all ages. There is a lunch program and an after-school drop-in program,
It also offers a 10-week Teenlink Wellness program for youth who want to become certified in mental health first aid, TASK (Anger Management), Safe-Talk, healthy relationships, stress management, financial management and goal-setting.
“We want to see everyone young person live fully – live a full life,” Avey said. “That’s our mission; we want to help young people become the best person they can be.”
The craft show event attracted more than 50 artisans, many of whom return year after year.
This year’s event, which organizers hope will raise about $20,000, was even more important because of the ongoing postal strike.
Youth Unlimited receives donations from the community through a mail campaign which, because of the postal strike, isn’t running at this time.
Avey handed out letters to passersby during the weekend how and said there are other ways people can support Youth Unlimited.
“People can go to our website or they can call us,” Avey said. “They can also drop in for a visit at one of our offices in Simcoe.”
Youth Unlimited has offices at 32 Union St. and 12 Robinson Street in Simcoe. It can be reached at 226-440-2882 and its website is at www.yfcnorfolk.com/ .
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