Fall's finest tradition

It's that time again! That crispness in the air. The leaves are changing colors. Pumpkin spice has reappeared without anyone officially inviting it back. 

It's fall, baby! 

And fall means one thing: craft fairs. 

Sure, it could also mean football season or hunting. But the hunting I really want to do is peruse the numerous vendors and local craftspeople whose imaginations have produced some of the most unique creations. 

You make specialty jellies and jams? I'll sample each one. You sling homemade soaps? Time to wash up. Funny messages on T-shirts? I'll take two. You 3-D printed some ornaments? Deck my halls! 

I'm not joking when I say these markets are among my favorite parts of the season. For many people, they help set the tone for the holidays. Everyone likes to talk about shopping local, and nothing's more local than your neighborhood craft fair. 

I can't be certain, but I'm pretty sure that every weekend between now and Christmas, almost every North Idaho resident can hop in the car and find at least one craft fair within a 20-mile radius. 

I'll take my courtesy cup of apple cider and wander for hours, whether we're in a gymnasium, fairground, church basement or community center. I love seeing these places packed wall-to-wall with handcrafted treasures and at least three varieties of scented candles. 

And in North Idaho, we have so many creative people that you may not even know how badly you need something until you see it at a craft fair. 

Need a cutting board? We've got cutting boards. Need a hand-poured candle called "Morning in the Mountain," "Cabin Fever," or "Opening Day?" We've got those, too. Need a decorative wooden sign reminding visitors to Live, Laugh and maybe even Love? I swear on my life, we've got you covered. 

I can't count how many times I've walked into one of these events telling my wife, "I just want to look." 

It takes less than a minute for us to realize I was lying. 

In a matter of moments, I'm packing around a bag of jalapeño kettle corn, wearing a hand-knit beanie and holding a canvas bag I bought to carry the rest of my newly acquired treasures. 

Economists are always talking about economic drivers. They talk about gas prices, tourism and new construction, but they always seem to miss the biggest and best driver of them all: the craft fair. 

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Silver Valley, somebody took three old metal rakes, turned them into chicken-shaped lawn decorations, and accidentally created North Idaho's must-have home accessory. 

But let's be honest. The real charm isn't just the shopping. 

It's the people we encounter while we're there — our people. 

They're neighbors, relatives and parents of kids we've coached or taught. They're old classmates, former coworkers and that one grandma everybody calls Grandma. 

And we love every minute of it. 

So, find your coziest hoodie and head out. Wander the rows of vendors. Buy the handmade item you don't really need. Find the most unique treasures you can to stuff stockings. 

Get out to your neighborhood craft fair and get back to the roots of shopping local. 

North Idaho's economy won't power itself.

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Josh McDonald, local news editor for the Shoshone News-Press, covers the Silver Valley for The Press.