Hunt For That Perfect Gift At The Stagg Music Boosters Fall Craft Fair

PALOS HILLS — One of the south suburb’s largest gatherings of crafters and artisans takes place this weekend at the Stagg Music Boosters’ annual fall craft fair. The fair is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Stagg High School, 8015 W. 111th St., Palos Hills.

Shoppers will have the chase to chance to browse rows and rows of booths featuring jewelry, party items, crochet, wood crafts, Christmas decor, wreaths, candles, doll furniture and clothing, soaps, lotions, body wash, natural products and much more. Food wares will also be for sale, including homemade candy, jams, jellies and dips.

Live music performances will steal the show, with the Stagg Jazz Band performing at 11 a.m., and the Stagg Madrigals taking the stage at noon.

A concession stand will be open by the North Gym, and raffles for split-the-pot, a basket with items from crafters and a Stagg band ultimate fan basket filled with band-related shirts and a lawn sign to show school spirit will be available. Admission is $3 for adults and free for children.

All proceeds from the show benefit music programs at Stagg, which serve hundreds of students in choir classes, singing groups such as Business Casual, band classes, percussion ensembles, Jazz Ensemble and the Stagg Marching Chargers.

“The music program at Stagg is alive and well, even during a pandemic,” said Robert Mecozzi, director of bands at Stagg. “Over the past 19 months, students have shown an incredible amount of resilience and understanding as we navigated through this time together. We found new and creative ways to teach, learn, and grow during remote and hybrid learning, and now that we're back in school full time, we've been able to incorporate a lot of the lessons we took from the remote learning period into the performance curriculum.”

Music Booster Vice President Lisa Banos-Cruz, who also serves as marching band volunteer coordinator, noted that the craft fair is “one of the biggest fundraisers for the music program and has a tremendous impact on the programs and experiences offered.”

Christopher Betz, director of choral activities at Stagg, agreed that some programs wouldn’t be possible without booster financial and volunteer support. “Our music families are an essential part of our community,” he said.

Banos-Cruz said supporting student musicians is important.