Second annual Winter Market held at county fairgrounds

PLAINS – The Pavilion at the Sanders County Fairgrounds was jammed full of vendors last week as the building hosted the second annual holiday market.

The seasonal event sponsored by the Community Market took place on both Friday and Saturday and drew a sizeable number of visitors to the Sanders County Fairgrounds.

According to Bobbi Kolby, who helped organize the event, 25 vendors were in attendance at this year’s holiday market.

In fact, Kolby stated there were additional vendors who had requested to be a part of the seasonal market, but unfortunately there were not enough spaces within the pavilion to accommodate all of them.

The 25 vendors who did reserve spots showed a marked increase from last year’s holiday market, where 19 vendors were in attendance at the Fairgrounds.

“We had an overabundance of phone calls from people who wanted a spot,” Kolby said.

The interior of the pavilion offered shoppers a wide variety of items to choose from.

Paintings, holiday decorations, postcards and jewelry were just some of the items available.

The market offered residents a good chance to get a jump start on their holiday shopping, with the wide variety of items creating a seasonal setting.

According to Kolby, there were some minor changes between last year’s holiday market and this year’s edition.

Last year’s market took place on Saturday and Sunday and was hosted on a different weekend, the same weekend as the big in-state football rivalry between the Montana Grizzlies and Montana State Bobcats collegiate teams in the Brawl of the Wild.

This year the community market decided to move their holiday edition up one weekend and to hold it a week prior to last year’s market.

The move appeared to benefit the market and Kolby said she was very pleased with how this year’s event was.

“I am very pleased with the turn out,” Kolby said.

Kolby stated she wasn’t the only one who made this year’s market possible with several other members of the Community Market turning out to put up signs and set up the pavilion to ensure a successful two days.

Kolby added that a few vendors had approached her over the course of the two-day market asking to reserve a spot at next year’s holiday event.

Vendors came from several areas in Sanders County in addition to some from Missoula.

The visitors to the two-day market also came from Sanders County, with some traveling from Ronan.

This year’s market kicked off on Nov. 14 during Friday afternoon with vendors also on hand throughout the day on Saturday, Nov. 15.

On Friday the market was open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The following day the market opened up at 9 a.m. and ran into the afternoon, concluding around 4 p.m.

Lunch was available during the Saturday Market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The lunch was catered by the Plains V.F.W. Auxiliary.  

According to Kolby, the main reason the Community Market began the holiday market event last year was due to public interest, with several people asking whether a market would be held around the holiday season.