Craft fair and Easter egg hunt draws crowds

SPRING MILLS — The Old Gregg School Community Center’s fifth annual Spring Craft Fair was held in Spring Mills on March 19. The event began at 10 a.m. with a community Easter egg hunt organized by three Girl Scout troops from the Penns Valley area.

The chilly weather did not stop the crowd of about 100 kids from collecting the 2,000 plastic eggs scattered around the grounds of the school. Many eggs contained coupons which could be redeemed for juice drinks in the school gymnasium.

At the school entrance, several breeds of rabbits from the Penns Valley 4-H Rabbit Club were on display. On were 4-H members who shared information about raising rabbits.

In the school gymnasium, about 15 craft vendors drew crowds of shoppers with a wide variety of handmade and commercially produced items.

Nancy Hartman, of Spring Mills, displayed her very complete line of Tupperware food storage containers. Hartman, a retired school teacher, has been selling Tupperware for more than 27 years. She praised her products’ durability and noted that many people still have Tupperware items that are in daily use after several decades.

Becky Mays, of State College, made her first appearance at the Old Gregg event while representing Pampered Chef. She showed a line of innovative and useful items used for food preparation, including slicers, fruit wedgers, baking pans and a dual-size hamburger press. She said that Pampered Chef products can be ordered online or through home shows.

Linn Auman, of Millheim, a retired civil engineer, represented Garden Secrets, which makes a line of all-natural ketchups, relishes and barbeque sauces. Auman makes these items from plants he grows in his garden, and he said he doesn’t use chemicals or preservatives in his recipes.

Food for shoppers was provided by Nick and Flavia Barger, of Brazilian Munchies. The Bargers met in Brazil, and after they were married, Flavia Barger brought her recipes for Brazilian food to Penns Valley.