Every holiday season, Alton High School gets taken over by vendors and their endless supply of various handmade gifts. All three floors are filled with excitement and the hustle of the holiday season. The building that once was a high school will become a shopping center for the weekend. 

    The Alton Band & Orchestra Builders Olde Alton Arts & Craft Fair was started 35 years ago by Gail Burjes. It has now become the largest fundraiser event for the orchestra and band programs for the high school and middle school. Band Director, Blake Korte, has been involved with the craft fair for 5 years now.

    “Without the craft fair, we’d have to do a lot of other tinier fundraisers,” Korte said. “So this usually raises around $25-30 thousand dollars for our program, so it’s hugely important for us.”

    This event covers all three floors of the school, which means that a lot of preparation is needed to keep everything in order. 

    “We really started preparations as early as last year’s Craft Fair,” Korte said. “We started taking applications, and getting the crafters their spots already. As far as setup, this year we’ll start on the 6th of December, and we’ll set up the whole school and then we’ll be here all weekend long.”

    With this being the 35th Annual Craft Fair, there are many improvements that have been made, and will continue to do so.  All of these improvements are focused on making the event more efficient for crafters and consumers alike.

    “With each year, we are always making changes based on feedback that we get, like changing the menu items in the kitchen, prices, how we handle admissions, and even how we do our reservations for our crafters and how we take their food orders,” Korte said. “We just always hope it’s a smoother year.”

    The Olde Alton Arts & Craft Fair is an opportunity for crafters in the area to present their creativity and share it with others. The school transformation gives shoppers an experience unlike others.

    “The school really does transform into a Winter Wonderland, which is really awesome to see if you’ve never been,” Korte said. “All the amazing, talented crafters that are here with their creativity on display, and just seeing the hustle and bustle it’s almost like a mall in here.”

    As important as the Craft Fair is to the Alton School District, it is also a widely appreciated event for the whole community. This year, the Olde Alton Arts & Craft Fair will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 8, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.