John Sayers
Special to The Lake Report
Grace United Church will bookend a summer of church markets in Niagara-on-the-Lake with its Festival Market on Saturday, Sept. 2.
It doesn’t have a fruit theme (strawberry, cherry, peach) because only the grapes are left to be harvested.
So, what’s so special about it? The legendary quality and range of jams and sauces available for sale.
Top of the list is the Colonial Sauce, with presale orders already depleting some of the stock. No one else has the scope of fruit jams that Grace’s culinary magicians offer.
I have already pre-bought a case of blackberry jam, made from locally picked blackberries. Even if it weren’t from a church, one could still call it heavenly.
And then there’s a batch of peach salsa, made from – you guessed it – this year’s fresh Niagara peaches.
As well, we can more than hold our own compared to any other sale when it comes to home baking.
The women (and some men) of the church will be busy baking treats that will make anyone salivate – and at prices that are seriously affordable.
Although it’s a sale, we won’t overcharge: we recognize that all people want a treat that will fit into their budget.
Our traditional book sale has shrunk to a group of selected titles and authors, and it has been usurped by an Estate and Treasures sale to catch up on goodies that built up during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Some years ago, the market had a section described as “Granny’s Attic.” This year, our Estate and Treasures sale is Granny’s Attic on steroids: Fine china, silver and glassware, pictures, and some dazzling special pieces.
How special? There’s a beautiful Italian glass vase, likely Murano because of its captivating design and colour, whose value to an informed collector may far exceed the asking price.
They say knowledge is power and while we know that some pieces are extra nice, we cannot begin to determine how much some of the items are really worth. That’s up to the buyers.
Another buyer opportunity: What is the value of a special presentation glass vase signed “By R. C. Riedel 1953” and carrying a charming design that appears to honour the Universal Postal Union?
It is probably unique, and a prudent buyer can probably find out more about its story and greatly enhance its value. We can only trace its provenance in Canada back to about 1960.
And it’s not all about decorative items. Remember 1971? The Fisher-Price Merry-Go-Round remembers it because that’s when it received its final copyright.
English-only wording confirms the originality. It’s fine for children and grandchildren – or for the dedicated collector of vintage Fisher-Price toys.
A good friend describes complex situations as “Trying to count the angels that can dance on the head of a pin.” It’s a fitting way to try to describe how much is there, and what it all is, at the Estate and Treasures sale.
So, visit Grace United this Saturday, Sept. 2, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and find out.
