Castle Rock Craft Show Draws Thousands, Sustains Senior Center Services
The Castle Rock Senior Activity Center hosted its 33rd Annual Craft Show Extraordinaire, drawing more than 4,800 visitors to the Event Center at the Douglas County Fair Grounds and featuring over 90 vendors. The event raised crucial funds for the senior center, showcased 20 local nonprofits and underscored how community volunteerism and small scale fundraisers support essential services for older residents.
The Castle Rock Senior Activity Center welcomed a steady stream of shoppers to its 33rd Annual Castle Rock Craft Show Extraordinaire on November 8 at the Event Center at the Douglas County Fair Grounds. More than 90 artisans displayed handmade items including quilts, jewelry, stained glass Christmas decor and bedazzled serving utensils, and many guests left with bags full of purchases. Organizers tallied attendance at more than 4,800 people, and several attendees won door prizes spread throughout the day.
The show included a Community Corner where 20 local nonprofits set up booths to share their missions with residents. That visibility offered agencies a direct line to Douglas County households, helping organizations recruit volunteers, raise awareness of services and connect people to local supports. The show also provided a marketplace for small vendors who rely on seasonal events for income and exposure.
It took 205 volunteers and four food trucks to keep the event running smoothly. Volunteers handled setup, vendor logistics and public facing tasks, a scale of civic engagement that both sustained the event and highlighted the center's reliance on donated time. Stacey Fahrenbruch, CRSAC assistant director and event manager, called the show an important community effort and emphasized its role in keeping center programs funded. “Our recent craft show was an amazing success thanks to so many who participated and supported CRSAC from setup to finish, and we’re looking forward to even greater growth next year,” she said. “This is our primary fundraiser of the year and we appreciate all who came out to sell, shop and volunteer.”
Beyond the immediate economic boost, the event has public health implications for Douglas County. Senior centers provide social programming that reduces isolation and supports wellbeing among older adults, and reliable funding affects access to those programs. The reliance on a single major fundraiser and extensive volunteer labor points to structural vulnerabilities that policymakers and community leaders may need to address to ensure equitable services for aging residents.
Save the date for next year’s craft show, Saturday, November 7. For more information, visit castlerockseniorcenter.org.
