The 26th annual Antique & Collectible Fair hosted by the South Bowl Community Association takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This popular event sees vendors coming from as far away as Saskatchewan and all over B.C. while a bus load of seniors coming from Fraser Lake takes in the fair because it's too hard to resist browsing 90 tables of treasures under the Roll-A-Dome roof.
It all started and continues with a group of core organizers who used to be moms of students at south bowl elementary schools who now see their grandchildren in the same schools their children attended.
All proceeds from the table rentals and entry fees go into the coffers of the South Bowl Community Association and goes towards scholarships and bursaries.
The association has also built parks as well as done upgrading including installing picnic tables, benches, garbage cans, new equipment and resurfacing tennis courts and basketball courts. The South Bowl Community Association, which includes Peden Hill, Pinewood, Westwood, Van Bien and John McInnis Learning Centre also hosts many community functions like annual fun nights, Santa skates and Easter egg hunts that are supported by this major fundraising event.
"This is a great fundraiser," said Margi Hoffman-Sandberg, one of the founding organizers. It started out at the Peden Hill school gym, then it grew to include the John McInnis space and about 16 years ago the fair took over the Roll-A-Dome.
The South Bowl Community Association was approached by the Prince George Hospice Society to see if they could do a similar type of fundraiser and the association helped them with the logistics of the event the hospice society holds in the spring to offset the association's fall fair.
"It's a lot of work and we like to spread that money around where there's a need and the money stays in our community so that's a good thing," said Hoffman-Sandberg.
There's been quite a few waves of antiquing trends over the years.
"A few years ago everybody was looking for milk cans and then it changed to wash tubs and now people are looking for furniture, but we see less and less people bring furniture because it's so heavy," said Hoffman-Sandberg.
"We see lots of coins, jewelry, glassware and other treasures so, there's something for everyone."
Entry is $4 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, children under six are free.
