Fair trade festival begins Dec. 1
TUXEDO — The Tuxedo Historical Society will again transform its headquarters into an international bazaar offering an array of fairly-traded crafts and foods from around the world.
The sale runs from Saturday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 7 Hospital Road in Tuxedo.
In additional to past favorites from SERRV International, including chocolates and other foods, the Tuxedo Historical Society has partnered this year with America’s oldest fair trade vendor, “Ten Thousand Villages,” with new merchandise including silks, knits, household, ornaments, baskets, soaps and pottery.
According to the historical society’s press release detailing the bazaar, the sale provides a great opportunity to find an unusual gift without the trek to New York City or paying shipping costs to order online.
Fair trade
Behind each item is the story of the farmer or crafter who produced it: From the cocoa growers in Ghana, to a food cooperative in Israel, to knits from Nepal, each purchase supports farmers and artisans from around the world as well as Tuxedo Historical Society. Items that are “fairly traded” provide the producers receive a living wage for their work.
“Fair trade is not about charity but rather about empowering producers to develop their own sustainable businesses,” the society said in its press release.
Tuxedo-centric items
The sale will also feature a table of Tuxedo-related items. In commemoration of the centennial of the sinking of RMS Titanic and in recognition of the Spedden family, Tuxedo Park residents who survived the Titanic disaster, the historical society will be raffling a limited edition Steiff “Polar the Titanic Bear.” Steiff produced only 1,500 of this collectible.
The bear will be displayed during the sale. Raffle tickets are available at the sale or by contacting the historical society. A new item at the “Tuxedo Table” is a linen tea towel screen printed with the word “Tuxedo” produced by an artisan in Brooklyn.
Prices range from $1 to $90. Quantities are limited.
Essential information
Contact the Tuxedo Historical Society at 351-2926 or tuxedohistory@gmail.com.
Also visit www.serrv.org or www.tenthousandvillages.org to learn about our vendors’ work, the artisans and products.