Earth Fair – A fall fair trade festival was this past Friday, October 30th.
We held it in Hewitt Union from 6- p.m., and we had House on a Spring Dub Reggae band perform, vendors come from Fair World Marketplace, Kim’s Treasures from Afar, Riversend Bookstore, Guatemala and Que Colores, Nancy Townsend’s knitted gifts, and the Outpouring Church and Save Your Skin.
We had tons of carnival games and a pie throwing contest and Halloween costume contest. AND TONS OF FOOD!
We also had a lot of information on what fair trade is (which like I mentioned in the last post is to get fair wages for producers and prevent slavery and promote sustainability). Throughout the night we had about 60-70 people stop by. Overall, for our first Earth Fair, it was pretty successful.
Next year, though, we want it to be a lot bigger and better and get more people interested in it and fair trade. The vendors had BEAUTIFUL merchandise from all over the world and the proceeds of which went to good, just causes around the globe. It definitely helps to get the information out there about fair trade and its benefits.
Here are some pictures from the night. If you have any ideas or suggestions to interest people more in fair trade, please let me know!
This is the information table.
The lovely helpers Kristen and Randi! Without their help, we wouldn’t have had any delicious goodies!
alt=”Horacio and Gabriel” />
These guys came all the way from Antigua, Guatemala to showcase their backstrap loom weaving skills. Gabriel is the 10-year-old son and Horacio is his father. They had beautiful beaded accessories and intricately designed tapestries and banners and bags, etc. that was all handmade. They came as guests from Muriel from Que Colores downtown Oswego!
These guys were awesome, and they helped to make the whole night wonderful. It was thanks to all of the helpers from Students for Global Change who helped put this together, and House on a Spring for volunteering their time and music, and the vendors who came down to showcase their wonderful merchandise.
Definitely stayed tuned for next year!
Have a great week!