Art buyers had many options for special artwork during the Western Art and Gift Show held Saturday, June 26 to 29 at the Ponoka Curling Rink.
The event was hosted by Debbie Reynolds this year and her goal was to give shoppers a wide variety of options for shoppers. There was quite a bit of foot traffic at the show and Reynolds was pleased with the vendors who came.
“I was trying to make it interesting and unique,” said Reynolds.
There were several western themed vendors and many one-of-a-kind products including face painters, a palm reader, artists – one who demonstrated his skills at the show – and metal works vendors.
It was Reynolds’ first time hosting in Ponoka for the Ponoka Stampede Association and she said the biggest challenge was planning the spaces for vendors. Despite that, she found the vendors and shoppers were pleased with the turnout.
“I’m just so proud of how beautiful the stuff is in here,” said Reynolds.
“I wanted more stuff. More stuff attracts more people,” she added.
This year Reynolds had 400 to 500 vendors to choose from but she wants to create enough demand to be able to choose from 1,000 vendors. “I’m pretty happy the way it is this year.”
She was pleased with the overall quality and choice of vendors.