For the first time since 2019, the Evergreen Artisan Market returns to the E.A. Rawlinson Centre, starting Friday afternoon.
The market features artisans from around the region showing and selling their original creations. It’s hosted by the Prince Albert Council for the Arts.
“We have been doing this for approximately 40 years and probably this pandemic is the first time that we have not held this event,” Prince Albert Council for the Arts board member Annette Nieman said. “We are back at it and we are excited to have it. We hope that it’s a really great success.
“We hope to see a lot of people out … supporting the arts in Prince Albert. I guess that’s the message we want, to have everybody come out and join us.
The event includes live music, food, and refreshments, including beer and wine.
Evergreen is one of the Council’s major fundraisers. They’ve done their best to keep all programs running while waiting for the market’s eventual return.
“We do have a couple of programs we are responsible for: the Hicks Gallery at the Arts Centre, and we also do an open art studio which is a free art class for the younger people of our community, … so we kept that going during the pandemic.”
The event is split into almost two separate events Friday evening is Sip & Shop and Saturday is Family Day to shop while your kids create their own crafts in the Mann Art Gallery learning room. This has become a special annual community event just in time for the holiday season.
Nieman said they hope to have people of all ages attend both days.
“The parents can come and shop and they can leave their children at the Mann Art Gallery and someone there would do an art craft with them, so that’s on Saturday and of course on Friday like I said it’s the Sip and Shop. We have a glass of wine, (and) there is food both days by three vendors, so you can grab a great meal,” she said.
Admission is $5.00 – 12 and under are Free with all proceeds going to support local artists and community arts programming including the Open Studio Youth Art Program at the Prince Albert Arts Centre.
Nieman said that they have almost 50 vendors booked.
“We have a lot of choices here,” she explained. “There is pottery, there is jewellery, there are authors, there is woodworking, there is of course art and it’s all juried vendors who are actually top-notch.”
They also have music throughout the day on Friday and Saturday. Friday performers include Terry Fehr and Friends, The Wine Not Band, Lilian Donahue, and Peter Laflamme and the Grassy Blues. Saturday performers include Allan Adams, Ted Pechey, Liza Brown and Friends, Alex Crawley and Jesse Campbell, Kayanna Wirtz and Kayleigh and Brock Skomorowski.
“We have great musicians both Friday and Saturday,” Nieman said. “(They are) top-notch…. We have great music on both days and we cannot forget that. They are great musicians.”
The Evergreen Artisan Market is on Friday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information visit www.princealbertarts.com.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
