Kids and Crafts abound at 21st Santa's Workshop

The 21st annual Santa's Workshop hosted more than 60 children and their families in the Lincoln School gym Saturday, Dec. 7.

Volunteer organizations including the Community Bible Church, American Legion Lincoln Post 9, the Blackfoot Valley Bible Church, and the Optimists Club, as well as numerous individual volunteers, took part in this year's kid-centered event.

Jill Frisbee with Lincoln Council for the Arts organized the event, and Laura Butler greeted the volunteers as they set up.

"It's a great opportunity for kids to come and do a lot of arts and crafts, sponsored by organizations and churches throughout the Lincoln community who have been faithful for years," Butler said.

For a $5 entrance fee, kids could make nearly ten crafts, including snowmen, keychains, window hangers and napkin holders. Kathy Tams, who volunteered at a table to make neck-warmers using rice and fuzzy socks, said she's been attending since the event first started. "I brought my kids every year that we were here and volunteered," she said. "I've brought my grandkids."

Tams noted that the event is open to kids from all over the area, including Ovando and Helmville.

Lincoln's new Optimists Club had members volunteering at different stations. Optimist member Ethel Sutej has volunteered for three years and this year helped kids make button and pipe cleaner trees. "It's always exciting when the kids show up, and you see what they do. What their little minds create, it's amazing," she said.

Jan Lindsay also volunteered as an Optimists Club member, helping Linda Daugherty make Christmas crackers. "This is my first year, and I'm pretty excited," Lindsay said.

Remi Dietz and Ashya Blythe, both 10, participated this year and said they had a great time. Dietz, who has been attending Santa's Workshop since kindergarten, said her favorite craft was an optical illusion piece featuring the word "Jesus" and highlighting the Christmas story. Blythe enjoyed hammering the nails in to build the birdhouse.

Kenneth Gellatly, a member of the American Legion, has been volunteering at Santa's Workshop for the seven years he's lived in Lincoln. Gellatly helped kids put together birdhouses supplied by John Beckman Sr. .

"A lot of them were so happy, they couldn't wait to get it made," Gellatly said, "It's neat for the kids to get out and do something with their hands and feel a sense of accomplishment."

Beckman prepared the birdhouses for the kids to buld and Margie Beckman said Steve Hatman supplied all the nails and hammers .

"I love that they have a loud, pounding, banging thing. A lot of kids like things that make noise," said Pastor Art McCafferty from the Blackfoot Valley Bible Church, whose table was near the American Legion's. McCafferty, who has participated in Santa's Workshop for more than twenty years, said, "The community has kept this up. It has become, I think, one of the nicest traditions we have here."