NEWELL—There is this special event in town that has been happening around the same time every year for the past 58 years. In preparation for the holidays, the Butte County Tot ’N Twenty CFEL Extension Club has sponsored the Annual Christmas Fair for over half a century.
The event draws vendors from around the area to come to Newell, set up tables to sell their wares, and make a little money for the holidays—all while offering the public a chance to get some early Christmas shopping done and find unique items while supporting small businesses. The fair took place on October 16 this year.
There were a variety of items for sale at the Newell City Hall. Some people brought canned jams and jellies, others brought salsa, and still others brought items they created, knitted, or painted. There were a few tables of baked goods to choose from—cookies, cakes, breads, candies, muffins, and so much more.
Every year, the Newell School allows its teachers to bring classrooms of kids to the fair to shop for holiday presents and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
There are always baskets to be raffled off and door prizes to be won! For $10, attendees could grab lunch—either a chicken salad or ham sandwich with chips, dessert, and coffee or hot cider.
The driving force behind the fair is the Tot ’N Twenty Extension Club. “We’re to do a money-making project each year, so this is one of our money-making projects to support all the things we do in the community,” explained Lynette Culver.
They use the money raised for a variety of different causes. “We give a scholarship to a high school senior. We support six Volunteer Fire Departments—we give them a monetary donation and we give a monetary donation to the Newell Library. We do meals for the elderly, sometimes the shut-ins. We take cookies and things on holidays to our elderly people in town,” shared Culver. “We do prayer shawls and welcome baskets for new residents and we started The Giving Tree at the school—we’ve got our fingers in everything!” Member Wilma Dick added, “We really support the schools—the science fair and the art shows—when they have them we would help with them.”
The club has been around for 70 years, but over time the numbers are declining. “Statewide, we’ve got less than 200 extension members—we used to have thousands and thousands,” said Culver. “We’re getting old, and we’re dwindling out, and the younger people aren’t joining.”
If you participated in 4-H as a youth, this may be a way for you to stay involved. Culver explained, “I always said, when you graduate from 4-H and you’re too old to belong to 4-H, you can become an extension member—we are adult 4-H!”
The group meets on the first Friday of each month, usually at the NVN Center in Newell at 1 p.m. This year, the Tot ’N Twenty Club has only 11 members signed up so far. “We’re always looking for new members,” said Culver. “We’re all about goodwill and doing what we can in the community to promote our families and our children.”
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