St. Joseph Parish hosts annual Christmas Fair starting Nov. 5

BELMONT — St. Joseph Parish will host the return of their annual Christmas Fair beginning Friday, Nov. 5 from 4-7 p.m. and ending on Saturday, Nov. 6 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fair’s theme, “Christmas in the Village,” highlights venues you might find in a small village including crafts’ shops, jewelry, children’s playground, bakery, café, bookstore, and highlights over 50 items in the silent auction and over 30 themed baskets in the penny sale.

This year’s Village Café will offer New England chowder and baked beans Friday evening. On Saturday attendees will be able to have a traditional New England breakfast in the morning with burgers, hot dogs, and more in the afternoon.

Dessert at the bakery is available all day. The Jewelry Shop features jewelry and knickknacks, and the Village Craft Shop features hundreds of crafts created by the St. Joseph crafters. The St. Joseph choir will be caroling on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

The Children’s Playground will feature Rose-Marie Robichaud, published children’s author, who will be reading some of her favorite stories. On Friday she will read Polar Express at 6 p.m. while on Saturday she will read her books "Dee's Pig" and "Dee's Extraordinary Rooster" at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Children can also create crafts and drop off or write their letter to Santa in the North Pole Express mailbox.

New this year will be a used bookstore and Christmas gift shop.

Finally, the Village Center is host to the penny sale and silent auction. Bid on themed baskets, gift certificates from local vendors, gift items, and enter a number of raffles, including a 50/50 cash raffle and lottery tree.

Go to the parish website at stjosephbelmont.org for more information about the fair and to see a list of the donated items. Proceeds of the fair are used to support parish programs.