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Market a village tradition

With Christmas just around the corner, a Foothills village is giving people one last chance to put handcrafted gifts under the tree.
Longview
Longview’s Last Chance Christmas Market on Saturday will help support the seniors club’s purchase of a wheelchair accessible bus.

With Christmas just around the corner, a Foothills village is giving people one last chance to put handcrafted gifts under the tree. Longview’s Last Chance Christmas Market is a village tradition that features a variety of homemade items including woodworking, knitting, fabric and baking, as well as a fundraising lunch and silent auction. The event is Dec. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Longview Community Hall. “One of the biggest draws is the seniors club does a hot lunch where they make homemade soup and turkey pot pies with fresh pastry and everything,” said market manager Sajé Muraski. “It’s just a friendly family-type day with a small village kind of warmth.” The market showcases a variety of talent in the Foothills and surrounding area with as many as 40 vendors, said Muraski. “I have a lady who makes her own beads and a guy who makes his own fishing lures, so there’s really different kind of things,” she said. Muraski said the market is another way to bring Christmas spirit into the village. “It’s just a fun social kind of day,” she said. “Everybody is there to have a good time and work towards a good cause.” Proceeds from the vendor table rental fees, silent auction and lunch will support the Longview Seniors Club’s purchase of a 20-passenger wheelchair accessible bus. Seniors club chairman Ivor McCorquindale said the bus is estimated to cost $100,000, and will be purchased in spring 2019. The club began fundraising for the vehicle a year ago and has raised more than $90,000. Donations include $24,000 from the Calgary Foundation; $10,000 each from Crescent Point, Spray Lakes Saw Mills, Foothills Recycling Centre and Little New York Daze; $8,000 from a village fundraiser, $5,000 from Sheep River Heath Trust; and $4,000 from the Foothills Lions Club. The seniors’ club board and members raised closed to $20,000 through various fundraisers including a raffle and social events and the Village of Longview agreed to pay the GST, he said. McCorquindale said many seniors don’t have transportation to get them to doctors’ appointment or social activities, and the bus is a way to keep them socializing and healthy. “We felt there was a big need in the village for a wheelchair accessible bus,” he said. “It’s been a lot of hard work. We have a subcommittee of five with three of our board members. McCorquindale said the nine-member board is in the final negotiations to purchase the bus and is waiting to hear if it received money from two other grants. A plaque will be erected in the village hall listing the donors, he said. Those planning to attend the market are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the Oilfields Foods Bank.

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