Friendship Fair - October 16 -17, 2009

Well, we did it again!!! Another fabulous Friendship Fair finds its way into the Ascension annals. Once again, Ascensionites have shared their marvelous gifts and unique spirit with the community and, once again they have reaped the rewards ~ not only financially (and it was a phenomenal monetary success) but in the good will and camaraderie that have always been the hallmark of this event. The fact that two outstanding charities, Camp ANCHOR and Island Harvest, will share in a percentage of the net proceeds makes it even more gratifying.

We've heard the saying before that "there are so many individuals to thank that I can't begin to thank them all by name". In the case of the Friendship Fair, this is literally true. As the Chairperson of this event, Susan Panzarella, said over and over again and speaking on behalf of her other committee members, how grateful they were for all the love and effort that so many of you put into this event.

We heard visitors saying, during the two days of the fair, how wonderful it all was; how much those who had been here before looked forward to it and how special they felt the people and the church were!

Our thanks go out to all of you whose contributions meant so much : .. to the craft group who worked to ensure we had a large variety of quality items to offer; .. to the relatives, neighbors, and friends who came to "pitch in" before, during and after the fair, ...to those of you who came from "just around the corner" and those who came from all over the island to help out;..to those with a variety of infirmities (aching backs, painful feet, pinched nerves, sore knees, etc.) who worked at a variety of tables on both days; .. to those who worked, at the church, sometimes 12 hours a day, for two weeks before the grand "opening day"; to the Barbershop Quartet and the Good Shepherd Singers who came and provided us with beautiful music; to all the cooks and servers in The Country Kitchen ..to the Gourmet Coffee brewers and the Barbequers and, of course, the batch of talented bakers who made those "devilishly" tempting desserts at " Plain & Fancy "; to the knowledgeable crews at the Jewelry Boutique and " Granny's Attic "; to the Book and Mixed Media sellers and the organizer and workers in the " Second Time Around " shops; to the " Raffle rs"; to the architect of the splendiferously wrapped Jamboree Auction baskets; and to the architects of the Church decorations; to the " Silent Auctioneers " and the not so silent Auctioneer at the Voice Auction; to the hardy gang who manned the " Old Farm Stand " both in and outdoors,..to the generous merchants and individuals who donated services and goods;..to the "kids" who helped out all over the place;...to our wonderfully thoughtful new Bishop Lawrence Provenzano who not only came but spent two hours visiting all the venues and shaking hands with countless workers ..and, lastly, to our great community who came in, joined in the fun, enjoyed the fellowship and made this the fabulous occasion it was !!!!

Friendship Fair...where lasting friends are made!

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