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MANA LIONSCraft fair with extras pleased the crowdsBy Bob WelshIn 2011 Mana Lions dipped their toes in the water and helped with the inaugural "Eat Drink and Be Crafty"craft fair based at Battle Hill Park, Pauatanhui.The experience was not too pleasant butwe thought that with a bit of tweaking thiscould be a fantastic event.The Lions organising committee hadassistance from Mel and Chloe whostarted the event last year but recognisedthat they needed some experience in thenon-craft areas.We aimed to have an event thatticked several boxes - donation tocharity, only local crafts, children'sgames, relaxed family atmosphere andcommunity involvement.Battle Hill is a fantastic location,immediately putting a visitor at ease witha dell surrounded by wide open spaces.Which is just as well because the Life FlightHelicopter needed some room to make agrand sweeping entrance. When parkedup it was soon a favourite of every malechild aged under 35.On entering the park, visitors to the fair werefaced by two huge banners declaring thatthis was "Another Project by MANA LIONS".Straight off the public were in no doubt thatthis was a Lions initiative. If things wentwrong there was nowhere to hide.Crowds at Mana Lions' day at the fair.The new traffic system kept the carsmoving and parking marshals wearingbright Lions bibs slotted cars into spacesin the three paddocks. A well-oiledprocess that worked like a dream.A short walk from the car park led thepunters to the horse shoe shaped delland 110 stalls (only 64 last year) sellingall types of local crafts. The fair has astandard to maintain so all the stalls werevetted to make sure they were visuallypresentable. The crafts have to be madein NZ - no imported stuff.A variety of food stalls kept the multitudefed. Again only quality products wereon sale; oven cooked pizza made fromscratch and cooked to order, a selectionof sausage sizzlers, paella cooked on thespot, French patisseries and an assortmentof candy for those with a sweet tooth. Toswill this down there was homemadelemonade, local beers, wines, ginger beerand hot drinks.To keep the kids happy we organised someold-fashioned games; egg and spoon race,three-legged race, 50m dash and a sackrace. Due to popular demand, at times weeven let the adults have a go.Was the day a success? Four to fivethousand punters gave positive feedback,stallholders are already committing to 2013,kids went home tired and slept well, LifeFlight were $4200 better off, club membersturned out in force, which was excellent, andthe wind-down barbecue at the end was afitting way to finish the day.An old-fashioned sack race amused the visiting childrenWill we be back next year? Hell, yes!Bigger and better!LION, South Pacific Edition | May/June 2012 24