Unique gifts for sale at Indigenous Arts and Craft Fair in Penticton

PENTICTON – A 10-year-old Christmas tradition continues on the Penticton Indian Reserve this weekend.

The Indigenous Arts & Craft Fair takes place at the En’owkin Centre from 10 a.m until 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Those looking for unique Christmas gift ideas could find what they are looking for a short drive west of the Okanagan River Channel.

Artisans from all seven bands of the Okanagan Nation have been getting together at the centre for the past decade to network with one another and generate some extra Christmas income for the artisans and their families, En’owkin Public Relations spokesperson Tracey Kim Bonneau says.

“It’s a great social event for everyone. Carvers, jewellers, fashion designers come from Kamloops, the Okanagan and the Similkameen offer their work for sale to the public,” she says. "It’s a great opportunity for the general public to pick up a unique Christmas gift for a member of their family.”

Kim Bonneau says the work is stunning.

“People who come through are just blown away at the value of the work and the affordability,” she says, calling the event a local community day. “It’s not just an aboriginal event, it’s an event that crosses community lines.  A lot of people pass through our doors, and a lot of people know the reserve through this event.” 

This year approximately 35 vendors will be on hand to sell their wares. A pancake breakfast fundraiser will also take place between 8 and 11 a.m.

Admission to the fair is free.

The En’owkin Centre is located approximately a quarter-mile west of the Super Save gas station on Green Mountain Road. For more information, call 250-493-7181, or email enowkin@vip.net

Robin Roberds at the En’owkin Centre’s December Indigenous craft sale., The En’owkin Centre’s Indigenous Arts Craft Fair takes place Saturday, Dec. 5 at the En’owkin Centre on the Penticton Indian Band. Credit: Contributed

To contact a reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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