In the lower level of the Matthew Brooke Professional Center in Birdsboro a group of volunteers are diligently working on crafts for the upcoming 2015 Birdsboro Fall Craft Show. These dedicated crafters call themselves “Busy Fingers. Fancy Workers.” and their talents range from painting to sewing to wood working.
On any given Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, there are from 6 to 20 people working on the holiday decorations and gifts. The youngest crafter is 56 years young. “The craft show will have hundreds of crafts, ranging from $1 to $65. Something for everyone,” said Sue Dengler, one of the craft show founders.
The craft show was started in 2010 by Birdsboro residents Mary Kilareski and Sue Dengler because they saw a need to support Hopewell Love, Inc., which runs a food pantry and holds community dinners in Birdsboro, and decided to use their love of crafts to help.
Since 2010 the craft show has grown in size and volunteers and the group was in need of more space. Until this past spring, the crafters were working in Kilareski’s kitchen. J. P. Mascaro, Inc. then donated the use of two rooms in the Matthew Brooke office building with the only stipulation that the group pay for the utilities. Birdsboro Borough is donating $1,000 to the group to cover that expense. One room is dedicated to painting and sewing while the other holds all the wood working machinery. The group rents a storage facility to store all their completed crafts, and Doaty’s Garage donates a U-haul to transport the crafts.
This year the group has added an extra day for the craft show because of the demand. The show is held at the Birdsboro Community Memorial Center, 201 East Main Street, Birdsboro and will run from Friday, Sept. 25 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday, Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27.
Proceeds support Hopewell Love, Inc., Birdsboro Community Memorial Center, and the purchase of some craft supplies. However, many of the members donate the craft materials. Most of the proceeds are donated to Love, Inc. and the average donation is $10,000.
For more information on the group visit their Facebook page at <www.facebook.com/busyfingersfancyworkers>.
