Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market
If conventional Black Friday bargain-hunting isn’t your idea of a good time, one alternative destination that really stands out – largely because of its organizers’ commitment to sustainability and the agriculture-based economy of the Hudson Valley – is the Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market, which proudly terms itself “the Anti-Black Friday big sister goddess.” Locally sourced food, vintage and recycled items are featured at the Basilica Hudson event alongside beautiful objects handmade by the region’s artisans.
“Maker” categories include Paper, Ceramics, Leather, Wood, Home & Garden, Kids & Toys, Jewelry, Fiber/Textiles, Apparel, Art & Books, Bath & Body, Wellness, Farm Products & Value Added and Specialty Packaged Food. Vintage Collector vendors also participate, plus a new category called Collective Shops (à la Etsy), where multiple makers can be represented in a single booth.
Also new for 2016 is a jury process for screening vendors. Criteria specified for the jurors include unique and original goods; diversity of products; a cohesive product line for each vendor; and accessible pricing, defined as averaging between $1 and $250.
The Basilica Farm & Flea Holiday Market 2016 will be held from 2 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 25, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, November 26 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 27. A $5 entry fee covers admission for the entire weekend, and children under 12 get in for free. Proceeds from admissions and vendor fees support ongoing operations for the organization, and allow Basilica Hudson to continue to develop and present its pioneering programs, serving as a cultural anchor to its community and offering a platform for artists, makers, chefs and farmers to engage with new audiences.
Basilica Hudson is located at 110 South Front Street, near the waterfront in the City of Hudson. For more information, visit https://basilicahudson.org/farmandflea.
– Frances Marion Platt
Craft Fair at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie
Forty-five years ago – back when Black Friday mostly meant the day of the disastrous 1929 Stock Market crash – the Dutchess Community College (DCC) Foundation had already hit on a pleasing alternative to braving the crowded shopping malls on Thanksgiving weekend. The campus started hosting a Craft Fair, where nowadays more than 100 artists and artisans offer handmade products that make thoughtful, out-of-the-ordinary holiday gifts. It’s a juried fair, so shoppers can expect high quality and a diverse selection of craft items.
The 45th annual DCC Craft Fair takes place this Saturday and Sunday, November 26 and 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many specialty food vendors will be on hand. Best of all, the entry fee of $6 general admission, $4 for senior citizens and DCC students, staff and alumni, goes entirely toward providing deserving students with scholarships. Children under age 12 get in free.
The Crafts Fair will take place in Falcon and Drumlin Halls. Guests are encouraged to park in Lot D next to Student Housing on Cottage Street; shuttle service to Falcon and Drumlin will be provided. Dutchess Community College is located at 53 Pendell Road in Poughkeepsie. For more info, visit www.sunydutchess.edu/alumni/foundationevents/annualcraftfair.html.
Poughkeepsie’s Locust Grove hosts Hudson Valley Art Market
Looking for a holiday-season art and crafts fair that specializes in high-end, artist-quality gifts? Or maybe just an excuse to enjoy the view of the Hudson from Locust Grove in the off-season with the trees mostly bare? The Hudson Valley Artisan Marketplace, a/k/a HVArtMarket, returns to the estate that was once home to telegraph inventor Samuel F. B. Morse for three days during Thanksgiving weekend.
Billed as “a celebration of fine art, handcrafted and fairly traded gifts showcasing the best of the Hudson Valley region,” the Art Market draws more than 35 vendors, with the added incentive of opportunities to sample local beers and ciders. The event is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, November 25 and 26, and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 27. There is no admission charge.
The elegant Tuscan-style Locust Grove Estate is located at 2683 South Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. For more information, visit www.hvartmarket.wix.com/hvartmarket.
Unison Art, Craft & Design Fair in New Paltz
The 26th annual holiday art and craft fair produced by the Unison Arts Center is getting a new name, a new date and a new location this year. The Unison Art, Craft and Design Fair will be held a little earlier in the season than usual, over Thanksgiving Day weekend: Saturday and Sunday, November 26 and 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The new location is on the SUNY-New Paltz campus, inside the glass atrium of the Student Union Building off Route 32 South.
Admission costs $4 for adults and $3 for adult members of Unison. Entrance is free for SUNY students and people under age 13. Ample free parking is available, and with the college closed for the holiday weekend, there won’t be much competition for spots.
The annual Unison fair is known by its loyal repeat visitors as an upscale representation of local artisanship and artistry. Fine artists exhibit their photographic, sculptural and painted works alongside artisans who create decorative and functional pieces in ceramics, fiber arts, woodwork (including a guitarmaker this year), leather, basketry, fused glass and metals. Jewelers who create one-of-a-kind pieces in silver, cloisonné, mixed metals or unique beads are well-represented, as are craftspeople who offer green products: holiday wreaths, natural soaps and beauty products, handspun yarns and heirloom seeds from the newly renamed Hudson Valley Seed Company (formerly the Hudson Valley Seed Library).
The list of nearly 50 participating artists can be found on the event’s Facebook page. An effort is always made to include both returning favorites and new people in the mix, says Stuart Bigley, founder of Unison. And while the emphasis has always been on the presentation of high-end work, he adds, “We do ask all the vendors to have more affordable work for sale, too, so there is something for pretty much anybody.”
The new date for the event happens to fall on the weekend that includes “Small Business Saturday,” the now-nationwide response to mall shoppers’ Black Friday and online buyers’ Cyber Monday. Shoppers are encouraged to buy local over the Thanksgiving Day weekend and support small businesses in one’s hometown, putting those dollars back to work in the community. All the vendors at the Unison event are local, and each represents a small cottage industry.
More information is available by visiting https://unisonarts.org.
– Sharyn Flanagan
Join the family! 
