From October 24th through November 6th, Dakota Boosters, a parent-led group dedicated to supporting clubs and activities within the school, will be holding their 25th annual Holiday Craft Show; however, this event will be a little different from previous years. Due to the current global pandemic and inability to hold large in-person events, Boosters has decided to shift the show to a virtual format to continue supporting local crafters during COVID-19. 

The Dakota Holiday Craft Show enables crafters from around the community to display their products and sell to the public entirely under Dakota High School’s roof. Crafters keep all their proceeds and only pay for their spot, allowing them to earn a profit while also allowing Boosters to fundraise. Last year’s show held over 190 crafters and received over 4,700 people through the doors. In recent years, Boosters has started having a Spring Craft Show to give crafters another opportunity to sell. 

Although the Craft Show will not be in-person this year, Craft Show Coordinator and Dakota Booster’s Treasurer Shari Burnham has worked tirelessly to put the event online. “COVID-19 caused many craft shows to be canceled, and I wanted to find a way to continue helping our local crafters showcase their items,” Burnham said when asked why she decided to make the shift this year. In figuring out the best way to adapt, Burnham researched and looked at other virtual craft shows. “I attended several craft shows over the summer to see if it was something we could do for our Holiday Show. I took the best aspects of the shows that I attended and implemented them into this one.” Instead of crafters setting up their spaces in the school, they are “sending me photos, product information, pricing, website/Facebook/Esty store information or email and phone number. I am then personally creating their ‘virtual booth’ that will be uploaded for the show,” Burnham explained. These booths are on the virtual marketplace website, which will be sent out to shoppers after they sign up for the free event through the website EventBrite. 

The Craft Show typically lasts one day, but Burnham extended it to two weeks “to allow customers to be able to shop every crafter’s booth at their convenience.” In place of an admission fee, shoppers can donate to Boosters to help support the group during a challenging year for fundraising. Each dollar donated earns them an entry into two drawings, each for a $25 Visa gift card. Winners will be notified on November 9th. The virtual show currently consists of over 60 crafters with products ranging from wooden snowmen to crotched items.

Here are only a few of the items available for purchase at this year’s show:

The show runs from October 24th at 10:00 am through November 6th at 9:00 pm. Online registration is open now on EventBrite until the show ends.