A decades-old group of fibre spinners is holding its eighth annual 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre Fair on May 27, which aims to provide everything anyone interested in the fibre arts could need, and from within 100 miles.
Organized by the Bradley Thursday Spinners and taking place at the Bradley Centre in Coombs, the event will feature approximately 40 vendors of fleece and fibre products — from materials to looms, spindles, buttons and more, as well as finished pieces such as clothing and artwork.
There will also be door prizes, demonstrations, a talk on the benefits of natural fibres and more.
The event is one way the Bradley Thursday Spinners gives back to the Bradley Centre, as voluntary donations given at the door (entrance is free) as well as a portion of the table fees goes to benefit the centre.
The group gives up to $1,300 from the event each year.
One of the main focuses of the event has been to connect local farmers to fibre artists, said Bradley Thursday Spinners member Cheryl Cameron.
“(We’re) trying to bring the fibre producers and the farmers together with the people in the community that knit, spin, weave, because there were a lot of farmers that were simply burning or burying their fleeces because they didn’t know what to do with them,” said Cameron.
While other fairs will bring in producers and vendors from the mainland or the U.S., this spinners’ fair keeps things local.
The Bradley Thursday Spinners established their roots decades before starting the fibre fair, said Doris Stephens, one of the longest-serving members of the spinners.
She said a government grant funded a skills program for retired folks that, among other things, taught spinning.
While the grant money eventually dried up, a group of about six people found a spot at the Bradley Centre and has since grown to include dozens of participants. Usually between 20 to 40 people attend on Thursdays, bringing not just spinning projects, but other fibre work and fibre creations as well.
Eleni Harvalias and Cameron and Martha Holmes have all joined in the last several years, and say they’ve found the spinners extremely friendly, supportive and knowledgeable.
“When I moved here from Vancouver, I went to the Coombs Fall Fair. It was the first event I went to… and everybody (in one area) was spinning, and I sort of went over there, and I found my tribe,” said Harvalias.
The 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre Fair runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Bradley Centre (974 Shearme Rd., Coombs) on Sunday, May 27.