As part of a full day of shopping, festivities, and community spirit, holiday shoppers perused handcrafted gifts from 20 local vendors at the Narrowsburg Union’s Holiday Market on Saturday, December 6. 

The free event took place inside Delaware Hall, the gymnasium/auditorium space of the former Narrowsburg High School. “This is our fifth year doing the Holiday Market,” says Rebecca Crance, Business Operations Manager at the Union.   

Up on the stage, a Toy Train Exhibit caught the eye of train enthusiasts of all ages, including four-year-old Lev River Danielson and his father Oriel Danielson of Narrowsburg. The train exhibit will run weekends from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for the rest of December. Christmas trees were also for sale during the event and will continue to be available on weekends until Christmas.

An experienced quilter, Susan Samek of Big Eddy Stained Glass displayed handcrafted stained-glass pieces, window catches, and unique glass art at the Union’s holiday market for the first time. “Stained glass is very similar to quilting,” says Samek, “except it’s a lot less forgiving.” Samek thought the event was a good way to get feedback on her new artwork, and the indoor location meant windy conditions wouldn’t be an issue. 

Todd Newman and Fran Hlavacek with HanRaBen Studio of Shohola, Pa. displayed jewelry and ceramics at their booth. Hlavacek is a ceramicist while Newman is a bead and fiber artist who blends Japanese kumihimo braiding and bead weaving to create meditative jewelry designs. “We did this last year…and we love the vibe of this place,” says Newman. “The people that run it really take good care of us vendors. We feel very welcome here.”

Caroline McGrath, co-owner of Serenity & Co. in Honesdale, sold handcrafted semi-precious stone jewelry, hand knitted accessories, and handcrafted soaps, lotions, body butters, and candles. “This is a market I’ve done for the last few years, so it’s something I look forward to doing,” says McGrath. “[I like] meeting all the delightful local people that come to shop and having a chance to present our products and speak about what we do at our store.”  

Offering a different approach to gift giving, Francis Cape was at the event gathering donations for the Narrowsburg Ecumenical Food Pantry. “We are in the middle of a fall fund drive,” says Cape, who is co-president of the Pantry. He displayed snowman ornaments with vouchers that will provide a holiday meal for a family. “On the Sunday before Christmas we will be giving out hams and some kind of sweets…and each family will get a voucher according to the size of the family,” says Cape. “That way, they can get whatever else they need from the store.” 

Nearby on Main Street, the festivities continued with a pop-up artist and maker’s market at The Shops at Narrowsburg, horse-drawn carriage rides, and caroling. At dusk, the lighting of the Narrowsburg Christmas tree at the Main Street Observation Deck officially launched the holiday season for this riverside town.