Submitted by the San Juan Makers Guild.

The Village of Eastsound is launching its holiday season with the Tree Lighting on the Green and a night market at Odd Fellows Hall, both on Friday, Dec. 6. The annual Winter Artisans Market at the Odd Fellows runs the Dec. 6-8 and fires up the weekend on Friday night with great island-made gifts and a special silent auction fundraiser for Orcas youth.

The auction benefits the Funhouse, Kaleidoscope’s Forest School and Orcas Wonder Camp. Friday evening dinner is brought to you by The Kitchen with warming libations and small bites by The Barnacle all weekend long.

Come shop and sip, create gifts – or a luminaria – and make merry Friday, Saturday and Sunday, island style. With over 30 vendors from four islands, wonderful gifts are at hand. Plus we are hosting a fun Holiday Makerspace with free classes that offer you a chance to relax with friends, learn felted animals, make an island-yarn weaving, create a lantern for the Winter Solstice Parade – and we would say decorate cookies but that class is already sold out!

The wonder-filled weekend Winter Market is Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-3 p.m. with your favorite artists plus new works including quilts, wreaths, tabletop trees, festive flowers, amazing new jewelry, wood works, local authors, textile goods, unique ceramics, baskets, wellness gifts, glasswork and creativity abounding.

It all starts with the Friday night market from 4-8 p.m. The silent auction opens at 5 p.m. with winning bids announced at 7:30 p.m. Drop in and show your support! Thanks to the generosity of many donors, this is a meaningful way to enrich our island’s youth. (If you’d rather bid by email, send a note with your name and phone number to sjimakersguild@gmail.com and we’ll send you sealed-bid directions.)

Come shop, sip, make and merry!

For more information and to RSVP for free classes, visit the Winter Market web page at https://sanjuanmakersguild.com/wintermarket2024/.