Farming, Saturday, Novambar 13, IM3
GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
BOALSBURG (Mifflin Co.) —
Everyone loves a chance to shop
early especially for the
holidays.
And what better place to find
quality handcrafted country crafts,
decorations and gifts made from
fabric, wood, and beeswax than at
a Christmas Market.
That’s what sisters Denise
Imbrogno and Dianne Hepler,
along with their sisters-in-law
Mary Jo Spangler and Donna
Spangler, had in mind three years
ago when they decided to bring all
their crafts and artwork together
for a Christmas open house in the
country. The first Christmas Mark
et took place in the original Span
ger homestead in New Berlin,
home to fourth generation Har
mony Springs Dairy farm run by
brothers Dan and Dennis Spangler
—an 18 th century two-story frame
farmhouse with a huge fireplace
and deep windowsills. This year’s
Christmas Market in New Berlin
was held November S and 6, and
will continue at Denise’s home in
Boalsburg, November 19 and 20.
When Denise opens her two
story gray colonial home in Boals
burg, located in the Kaywood
Estate development, as a Christ
mas Market, shoppers can expect
to be surrounded by all the sights,
sounds, and smells of Christmas.
“We all had done some crafts on
our own and they complimented
each other,” said Denise, who also
said the idea of a Christmas Market
began with an article they saw in
Lancaster Farming.
Santas, snowmen, angels, toy
soldiers, wreaths, ornaments, sten
ciling, fashion accessories, and
Fraktur Folk Art each person
adds their own personal touch and
trade secrets to make just what
shoppers and decorators are look
ing for.
Denise paints most of the
wooden ornaments, many done in
bam or brick red with a Santa face,
makes three-foot high fence post
Santas, snowmen, and soldiers,
paints wooden trees and ginger
bread men, Santa bobbin spools,
and Santas cow bells.
Dianne Hepler of Pitman creates
gifts from fabric and paints fashion
accessories. Her ornamental bird
houses are from boards from an old
bam dated 1910, and she enjoys
making wooden necklaces and
pins. But her favorite is antiquing
What’s a Christmas Market without Santa’s. The Spangler homestead, Harmony
Springs Farm in New Berlin, opens it’s doors one November weekend each year for a
Christmas Market of quality handcrafted country Kerns.
Sisters Open Chris
material. Dianne uses her own sec
ret product to antique muslin to
make stuffed and stenciled wel
come signs to hang on door knobs,
and others country cloth items.
Mary Jo Spangler of New Berlin
makes molded beeswax orna
ments, paints them and finishes
with an antique stain. She has col
lected all the Longenberger molds
and forms bears, sheep, santas,
angels, and the old fashioned St
Nick. The aroma from these is
surely a welcome Christmas smell.
The Spangler’s 18th Century
farmhouse is home to Donna Span
gler’s Fraktur Art showroom and
studio year round. Hoe, she takes
the Pennsylvania German Folk Art
and intertwines her own personal
artistic style to create favorite say
ings, family trees, wedding and
birth announcements all
designed to become lasting family
gifts from one generation to die
next. Donna uses the Fraktur sym
bols the dove, the stem of the
vine, and the flowers for Christ, a
heart to agape (the love of God),
and the leaves for new-born
believers—for her art. She is a jur
Dianne Hepler makes —Jon. accessories and cloth
crafts for the Christmas Market.
ied member of the Pa. Guild of
Craftsmen.
The Christmas Market in New
Berlin and Boalsburg for next year
is tentatively set for the first
weekend in November, early
enough for shoppers to find Christ
masy country crafts straight from
country crafters.
For more information about the
Christmas Market in Boalsburg
November 19 and 20, call Denise
Imbfogno at (814) 466-2260. For
more Fraktur Folk Art details, call
Donna Spangler at (717)
966-2624.
Chrlstmasy country crafts blend well In an 18th century
stbne farm house on Harmony Springs Farm In New Berlin.
Frektur Folk Art verses, painted Santa bricks, wooden
Christmas tree cutouts, “Welcome Friends” brick door
stop, stenciled gift bags, and stuffed and antiqued “Sea
sons Greetings” pillows line the long wall facing a huge
jncepoet. rs, snowmen, semes stand to wel
come visitors to the Christmas Markst In New Berlin.
wmesf/gad
x/fo{es