Man takes over craft shows from mother, grandmother
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COLUMBUS, Neb. (Columbus Telegram) — Longtime Columbus residents Sharon Pohlman and Michelle Woerth are looking to end 2020 on a high note. It will also, in a way, be the end of an era.
“The Christmas Rush” craft and vendor fair, scheduled to take place this weekend at 30 Center Mall, will be the final event Pohlman and her daughter serve as leaders of Creative Crafters Promotions.
“It’s fun, stressful, but fun. I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t like it,” Pohlman said of the last 20 years she and her daughter have spent promoting three local craft fairs. “I’m stepping back and letting (my grandson) take over.”
Her grandson and Michelle’s son, 26-year-old Travis Woerth, said he’s ready to take on the responsibility of putting on the fairs for people to enjoy.
“I just couldn’t see letting it go – it’s been part of my life for so long,” said Woerth, who helps build classic cars out at Shell Valley Classic Wheels in Platte Center full-time and will handle Creative Crafters as a hobby.
The holiday fair at 30 Center Mall, 3100 23rd St. in Columbus, promises plenty of fun and goodies for people looking for some festive cheer. The show will welcome numerous local vendors and others from surrounding areas, bringing things like Christmas ornaments, potato bags, rag rugs, appliance covers, cornhole boards, a lot of crochet work and raw honey, among other things, as well as face masks in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic and safety are certainly on the organizers’ minds. Nebraska’s Directed Health Measures and Columbus’ mask mandate will be followed accordingly, Pohlman noted.
“It worked out pretty good with our Thanksgiving show. Everybody who came in did wear a mask,” she said. “We don’t have as many spaces as everything is spaced out – there will be 6 feet between where the vendors sit and where the customer stands. We will be social distancing. Each booth will have hand sanitizer and masks will be worn.”
Creative Crafters Promotions has historically been putting on shows in March, November and December every year for at least the last two decades. Pohlman acknowledged this weekend’s show, which will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, will be bittersweet. But, she’s excited about her grandson taking the reins.
“I’m kind of sad this is my last show as promoter, but I’ll still be behind the scenes and setting up a booth at each show,” said Pohlman, who sells Tupperware. “I’m 75. (My grandson) was 6 when he first started coming out to the mall. He grew up with a lot of the vendors that have been there for years. I think he’ll do fine. He has some good ideas.”
Woerth said the craft shows mean a great deal to him, adding he’s eager to help keep them going for years to come.
“We know almost everyone who is there. It just became part of my life,” he said. “I enjoy seeing people come out, make money, talk and have fun; it’s like a family get-together. It’s almost like a holiday with your friends – like a family-type environment.”
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