ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

Those looking to get a bit of a head start on the holidays will soon have just that opportunity.

This year's KSCB Holiday Home and Craft Show will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, and everything will be happening at the Seward County Activity Center at 810 Stadium Ave. As Sales Manager Cheryl Collins tells it, there will be plenty of booths for shoppers to explore.

“We have, as of Oct. 21, about 71 different vendors, and we are still taking applications because we're not completely full yet. We have 71 different businesses scheduled to be at the show, and that number is still growing because I know we still have some completing their applications,” Collins said. “We’ll have booths home improvement stuff like tractors and mowers and water systems for the home, furniture, windows and siding and patio doors, HVAC, bathroom remodeling, foundation repair, all that kind of stuff. We’ll also have booths for gift giving stuff, like blankets and tumblers and clothing and art and coins. The knife sharpening guy will be here, and he's a favorite, and we’ll also have a booth by a guy doing 3D art, which is another really popular one. We’ll have booths selling coffee, candles, baked goods. We've got a couple food trucks, along with Wild West Soda and other similar booths. The list just goes on and on and on, and we’re not even technically finished adding everyone.”

Collins said she hopes to see a high turnout for this year’s event.

“Like I say with every show, where else can shoppers look at that many stores in one spot all at the same time?” Collins said. “There's something for everyone, and it's the perfect chance to see so many different types of businesses all in one spot without having to drive several miles to the nearest mall. With the variety of businesses that will be there, you're sure to find either something to buy or at least get an idea of what kind of gift to give someone. This is a good time to kick off the holiday season. I think we're all looking forward to some peaceful, loving times. It’s a good time to start thinking, whether you're doing something for your home or looking for gifts for the holiday season. Or, if you’re just for some feel good snacks, we’ll have plenty of those too. I think it's just going to be a good time to come together and just have a stroll through 70-plus businesses and see what they have. We have a lot of regulars we know come specifically because of one vendor or another, whether it’s the guy who sharpens knives or the tamales lady, and we get a lot of phone calls from people asking if someone or another will be there. We have a lot of those staple vendors people just love to come for, and we've also got some new ones. There will be a lot of booths to look at, whether you need some work done on your house or you need a bathroom remodel, or maybe you need equipment. It'll all be there.”

Like the other shows, Collins has high expectations for this time around.

“Our spring and holiday shows for several years have brought big crowds, and we're expecting this to be a big crowd because people are looking. It is that time of year where you're starting to look for gift ideas, or maybe you’re contemplating what project can get done in the weeks before Christmas to get the house in order,” Collins said. “I'm always excited to see the crowds. I always worry a little bit whether or not there'll be a good crowd or not, but the community come out for this. It’s a great opportunity to see a lot of things and stroll through the Seward County Activity Center and spend some time visiting with people. At the end of the 2025 show, we were already handing out applications for the 2026 show, so this show's been in the works for a year, and we already have it on the calendar with the activity center for the next couple years. I've already started getting food for the hospitality room so the vendors get taken care of, and there’s some other work we’re getting ready for the next couple weeks. This is what we do. We provide musical entertainment on the radio, but on the back side of everything, our goal is to bring businesses and consumers together – we can't have one without the other. This show is one of the ways we can bring lots of consumers and lots of businesses together at one time in one place, and that's why we keep doing this.”

Overall, Collins said, she is looking forward to all the fun of the show.

“I want to thank everyone who helps us get the word out about this event every year, we couldn't express our appreciation more for that help. And without the community's support, we wouldn't be able to do events like this – the staff out at the Activity Center is wonderful to work with every show, and we love working with them,” Collins said. “Come out, see your friends, and help support these local businesses. A lot of a lot of these are home businesses, and this is their livelihood. We hope to see a lot of people in from not just Liberal but also surrounding towns to do some shopping and kick off some of those holiday plans.”