Monmouth Park to host craft show

For many, crafts help instill the holiday spirit in the home.

The 10th annual Cottage Crafts Holiday Extravaganza Craft Show at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport will offer "Sugar and spice, and everything nice" for the holidays, according to the show's founder, Anita Means.

Means invites locals to start off the holiday season at the show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, and Saturday, Nov. 25, inside the Grandstand building at Monmouth Park Racetrack.

"Beauty moves our soul, and this craft show features extraordinary exhibits of America's finest crafters who create beauty through their art," said Means, a grandmother and master gingerbread-house maker.

Aimed to please all attendees, the juried Holiday Craft Show will have more than 150 crafters, including "Stitch Fore Time," that will sell hand-knit scarves to benefit breast cancer research, according to Means.

Other one-of-a-kind items that will be available, according to Means, include art, brass rubbings, candles, clothing, decorated fabrics, floral art, food, glass, hand knits, jewelry, toys, Native American arts, ornaments, photography, pillows, porcelain, quilts, soaps, sculpture, stained glass, tapestry accessories and wood crafts.

"New holiday traditions are created at the Cottage Craft Show because mothers and grandmothers often purchase heirloom-quality gifts to pass on to their children and grandchildren in a gift-giving tradition nurtured from the heart," Means said. "Come see our special treasures."

The show has an admission fee of $5, but children 12 and under free. A giant snowman family will greet attendees. Holiday music and a food court will also accompany the show.

For more information, call Anita Means at (732) 946-3229 or visit www.cottagecraftshows.com.