Wilberforce Heritage Guild Christmas Craft Sale Nov. 29

By Michael Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Wilberforce Heritage Guild is putting on their Christmas craft sale on Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Lloyd Watson Centre at 2249 Loop Road in downtown Wilberforce. Funds raised from this annual sale, featuring a variety of Christmas wares and lunch from the Wilberforce Legion Ladies Auxiliary, go towards the upkeep and additions to the Red Cross Outpost Museum. Organizer Barb Schofield comments to Bancroft This Week on this upcoming sale.

Schofield told Bancroft This Week that they've been running this sale since at least 2006, perhaps longer.

Things are on track for this year.  Most of our tables have been booked with many venders returning from last year and a some new to this years sale. 

The Wilberforce Legion Ladies Auxiliary are providing a lunch that can be purchased.  Tea and coffee are provided.

New for this year the Wilberforce Heritage Guild are starting our annual 2026 quilt raffle at this years sale.  Our 2026 hand quilted quilt will be on display and tickets available for purchase.  The raffle draw will be held on Aug. 15, 2026 at our annual anniversary corn roast.

The Wilberforce Heritage Guild is a registered charitable foundation that was enacted to preserve and restore historic sites and collect and display artifacts related to the former Monmouth Township history, now Highlands East and its surrounding area. The restoration of the Wilberforce Red Cross Outpost was their first project back in 1991. More information can be found at www.redcrossoutpost.org.

Schofield says they raise around $900 each year from table rentals.

“This money goes towards the upkeep and additions to the Red Cross Outpost Museum.  Our museum is open in July and August, or by appointment the rest of the year, and does not charge an admission fee so we appreciate the money raised by this sale,” she says.

Thirty five vendors are booked for this year's sale, according to Schofield, and she says their tables are always all booked before the sale and they keep a waiting list for any cancellations.

“We have between 44 and 46 vendors tables depending on our set-up plan.  Wilberforce is fortunate to have the large space in the Lloyd Watson Centre that we use for our sale. There will be a large variety of goods including seasonal decorations and all types of gift items such as hand knitted sweaters and mittens, clothing, quilts, jewelry, stained glass, hand painted items and paintings, candles, textile items such as tote bags, aprons, table cloths and place mats.  The sale also includes lots of holiday treats and baked goods such as cookies and cakes,” she says.

Schofield says that it's hard to estimate total attendance as people come and go during the hours they are open, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We did get snow on the sale day last year, so we are hoping for good weather this year,” she says.

Schofield stresses that the food bank is an important part of their sale, and that the local food bank will have two tables and a display selling items and their popular community cookbook.

The WHG has a devoted core group of vendors who book tables at the sale each year, according to Schofield.

“The rest of the sale is made up of new venders.  We have received good comments from our venders that this is a well-run sale. The attendees have commented that they appreciate the variety of goods for sale, including the baked goods and the organized layout of the room.  People also like that there is lunch available for purchase and a seating area set up in the lounge off of the main room where they can eat lunch and visit with friends and family,” she says.

Schofield told Bancroft This Week that this is one of the main fundraising efforts for the WHG.

“It's also an opportunity to connect with the community and publicize our Christmas Open House at the museum.  We have a table and display for the WHG and use the chance to tell people about our museum and our activities planned for the following year.

This year the WHG are working to combine our open house with the Wilberforce Funraising Group who are organizing the first Wilberforce Christmas Tree
lighting.  This event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6 with the tree lighting and carol singing taking place beside Agnew's store in the centre of town at 6:30 p.m.  After this, starting at 7 p.m., people are invited to the Outpost Museum for hot chocolate and seasonal goodies,” she says. “We will have a poster out for this event soon.”