ROCKWOOD – There was food to eat, gifts to buy, music to enjoy, and best of all, Santa made it to Rockwood’s first Christmas in the Park outdoor market on Dec. 4.
And even the wind, with its propensity for blowing over tents and knocking displays asunder, couldn’t quash the excitement in the air.
“It’s been really good,” said Rachel Kautesk, owner of Rachel Dyes.
“A lot of people have been buying stuff and it’s constantly busy. Really, I did not expect it to be like this.”
Rockwood’s Christmas in the Park outdoor market on Dec. 4 at Rockmosa Park offered much for sale at the market, including wooden sculptures, preserves, jewelry, candles, clothing and Christmas decor. Photos by Joanne Shuttleworth
Veronica Pellini runs her Heart Rooted business on Etsy but has taken her wares to a few in-person markets this year.
“It’s pretty good here,” she said.”I like that there are a variety of items for sale. There are some really good crafters here, too.”
Those who went had a plethora of items to choose from – everything from knitted clothing items, preserves, chocolate, wooden objects, jewelry, art, candles, Christmas decor, mugs, dog cookies, and more.
“It is hard to choose,” said Amanda Saraiva with a laugh.
Her family moved to Rockwood in 2020 and this will be their second Christmas in their new home.
Saraiva said it’s nice to finally be able to be out and about doing Christmassy things again.
“We really came to see Santa,” she said. “You should have seen my daughter’s face when she saw him. Her face just lit up.”
Janette MacMillan, of Bella Floral and Chalk Design, said she has always made floral arrangements, but during the pandemic she started making things with scrap pieces of wood.
“It was something I did to pass the time, but people told me I should sell them, and I’ve sold a lot,” she said. “My table is starting to look empty.”
Janette and Kierstin MacMillan, a mother-daughter team, huddled under blankets to keep warm. But sales were brisk for their business, Bella Floral and Chalk Design.
Debra Wolser could not get over the number of people who brought food for the East Wellington Community Services food bank.
She and her partner were collecting food, hoping to fill a limo. By mid-afternoon they were halfway there.
Wolser and her partner recently moved to Rockwood. She opened a hair salon, Lola and Link; he bought into Diamond Limosines.
“I was nervous about the food drive but Rockwood has been awesome,” Wolser said. “Bob and I have done social work before and we wanted to do something to help people who are struggling. So we landed on this.”
She added, “I really didn’t know how it would go but the people are fabulous. I just can’t get over it. I think we will fill this limo. And maybe next year we’ll fill two.”
Is that a reindeer? No, it’s Rachel Kautesk, owner of Rachel Dyes, who might have been the most comfortable person at the Dec. 4 market in her warm suit.
