Season’s Splendor brings handmade holiday cheer to Wooster Oct. 24-25

Recently, these pages detailed Ohioans’ love for Halloween and fall. Ohio is the home to the most haunted houses in the country, more even than California, Texas and other places much larger.

Now, sleigh bells ring. Are ya’ listening?

While nobody is likely too crazy around here about winter, or alleged wonderlands, Christmas is another story. At least where Northeast Ohio goes, you’re not going to run out of things to do. Think Castle Noel in Medina, the “Christmas Story” House in Cleveland, Tis the Season in Berlin and the soon-to-open Ohio Christmas Factory in Canton.

Nothing gets area people ready for the season of those places better than Season’s Splendor, the area’s best holiday arts and crafts show, sponsored by the Wayne County Arts and Crafts Guild.

The two-day juried event will take place Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Greystone Event Center, 50 Riffel Road, Wooster. Hours are 5-9 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Admission is free, and food will be available, along with 100 booths full of handmade Christmas goodies.

Typically held during November, the event has moved up one weekend from when the 2024 installment took place. Season’s Splendor was formerly held at the Fisher Auditorium before moving this year. The Splendor is for anyone who loves Christmas and loves handmade holiday items.

Those things could range from candles to rugs, wreaths and just about anything else holiday-centric. Event spokesperson Kathy Randall said there are only so many things available in each genre but promised a wide variety. A vendor herself, Randall is a candlemaker and will deal her wares over the two days.

She wasn’t sure how long the show has been running, but the guild has been around since 1970. At least one source in a web search called 2017 its 46th year, which would make the inaugural show 1972, and this would be year 54.

The key to the longevity, no matter how long it’s been around, is relatively simple.

“It is the best craft show in the area,” Randall said. “The Vintage Market Days was last week, but that’s more commercial. These are all handmade. You have to have a vendor’s license, and we pick and choose who we want to have here. You have to be a legitimate vendor.”

It’s also not a case of when you’ve been to one, you’ve been to all of them, because the crafts are handmade so there’s a much greater flavor of uniqueness among the vendors’ products. There may be some things you could see again and again, but there will always be freshness.

Crafters get bored like anyone else. When they tire of making one thing or a collection of things, they move on.

“It just changes from year to year,” Randall said. “If you’re looking for a unique Christmas gift, unique decorations, whatever you need or want, you can always find something."

The show is promoted all over Northeast Ohio and beyond. It has a decent-sized advertising budget and great word-of-mouth. Like any great holiday attraction, people don’t keep this a secret. And there’s always the “Where’d you get that?” effect when people see other people’s purchases and want something like that.

And you’re bound to see a piece from Season’s Splendor just about anywhere you travel in the Buckeye State.

“We draw quite a crowd,” Randall said. “They come from all over the state, even some other states. They’ll plan their day around it.”