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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Saturday, May 11, Jameson Fields were transformed into the Sherborn Craft Fair, showcasing different businesses, food trucks, and even a range of service projects that showcased the skills of local fifth graders. From homemade salsa and pickled vegetables to a marbling of silk scarves to goods made out of alpaca fibers, the craft fair boasted something for everyone.
Local fifth graders from Pine Hill spent their time at the Sherborn Craft Fair raising money for their service projects. Renee Poblenz planned to donate all of her profits to the Cancer Research Institute. Inspired by a soap-making workshop she attended last year, Poblenz decided that she would sell soaps at the craft fair. With help from her mom, Poblenz obtained the materials and made the soaps, picking out different designs and scents for her product. She decided to use jasmine, ocean breeze, lavender, lemon, and left some soaps unscented for people with more sensitive skin. Poblenz added creative molds and twists to make her soaps more attractive. One of her most interesting twists was soap made to look like it was a goldfish in a bag. “They were really hard to make, so we made some other ones, too,” said Poblenz, referring to the spread of heart shaped soaps and ones that resembled giant (but colorful) blue, purple, and green Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Poblenz’s favorites of all her soaps were the lemon-scented ones.
Vivian Kamphaus and Grace Malanson were selling a more nautical-themed good. At their booth, Kamphaus and Malanson sold painted seashells. “We were inspired by a trip to Cape Cod,” said Kamphaus. The girls collected seashells at the beach and painted them, each completely unique from one another. They picked out two causes for which to raise money: Habitat for Humanity and Help the Whales.
Kyle Embree chose to help raise money for another animal-focused cause. Both Kyle and his mom dressed in koala bear onesies to sell bookmarks and handmade koala pencil huggers. Their effort was to raise money for the the Australian Koala Foundation. Working off of the saying, “no tree, no me,” Kyle helped visitors learn about the struggles of koalas and the destruction of their habitat. Deciding to focus on koalas was a no-brainer for Kyle. “I’ve loved koalas my whole life,” he explained.
One of the most popular activities at the fair was the dunk tank, hosted by the fifth grade baseball team. Each team member took the time to climb into the dunk tank and inevitably be dunked in water below when someone successfully hit the target with a baseball. With it being the first warm and sunny day in weeks, the kids happily climbed to the dunk chair for their respective turns. When one child missed the target, a member of the baseball team urged her to move closer to the target and hit it. “Here, you can still dunk him,” he encouraged.
Unlike the other booths at the fair, the dunk tank raised money for a more personal cause: the baseball team’s trip to their Cooperstown Dream Park Competition. The baseball team had just as much fun as their customers did. “Getting dunked!” the kids replied in unison when asked what their favorite part of the day was.
For most Sherbornites, however, it was a bit harder of a question to answer.
Between the vendors, the community organizations, and the smiling neighbors making their way through the fair, there was truly something for everyone.
