Holiday shopping comes with an extra reason to explore at Southeastern Illinois College’s 48th annual Heritage Festival Nov. 7-8. Along with more than 80 vendors, festival favorites and food, this year’s event will introduce a Heritage Festival Passport with a chance to win a basket of vendor goodies.The festival will take place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Organized by vendor Homestead Raising, the new passport activity encourages visitors to discover more of the festival’s offerings. Shoppers will receive a passport upon entering and can collect stamps by stopping at participating vendor booths listed on the passport. Once all stamps are collected, shoppers can return their completed passports to the Homestead Raising booth to enter a drawing for a gift basket filled with items contributed by participating vendors.
“One of the best parts of the Heritage Festival is meeting the people behind the booths and discovering what they’ve created,” said Lori Cox, Festival Director and Associate Dean of Workforce & Community Education. “The new passport gives shoppers another reason to explore, visit with vendors and perhaps find a favorite they might otherwise have missed. We’re looking forward to a weekend of familiar faces and new discoveries.”
Shoppers can browse handmade jewelry, boutique clothing, fall and holiday décor, antiques and collectibles, wood crafts, candles, handcrafted soaps and skincare items. Other offerings may include pet clothing, specialty dip mixes, screen-printed tees, hair accessories, scarves, blankets, embroidered hats, laser engravings, folded book art and historical books.
Visitors can also enjoy homemade candies, fresh pork rinds, spiced nuts and other vendor treats. The Falcon Bistro will serve smoked turkey, chicken and dumplings, sandwiches, chicken strips and sides. The coffee bar will also be open serving popular coffee blends, cakes, and pies.
Admission is a $1 donation to Freddie’s Food Pantry. Parking is free, and accessible parking is available.
For more information, contact Lori Cox at 618-252-5400, ext. 2302, or lori.cox@sic.edu. Follow the SIC Heritage Festival Facebook page at facebook.com/SICHeritageFestival for vendor spotlights and event updates.
