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By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE | Special to the Reporter

CHELSEA – The annual Chelsea Fall Craft Fair will return on Saturday, Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Chelsea Community Center with a variety of vendors for residents to browse.

This inside event was capped at 60 vendors, but only because of the amount of space. Programs Director Jane Ann Mueller said that the vendor list filled up within the first 10 days. She currently has a waitlist of other vendors who want to participate and said she may end up setting up tables in the hallways in order to accommodate the requests.

“Vendor registration is technically still open until Oct. 10, but all I can do now is put people on a waitlist,” Mueller said. “We just put out our yard signs (in front of the community center) this week. We’re still getting a lot of calls. It’s quite popular, and I’m proud of that.”

The craft fair is a completely indoor event, so it can be held rain or shine. This will be the second craft fair that will include space in the new gym at the community center. It was used earlier this year at the spring craft fair.

“We use both gyms and every room in the building: both gyms, dining room, activity room and the business room,” Mueller said. “People flow through the building from room to room to make purchases.”

Mueller handles the planning for the event, including the layout of where all the vendors will be assigned. Each gets a 10×10 space and pays $40 for their booth. They also pay an additional fee for tables.

Other organizations including Chelsea’s Citizens on Patrol, Compact and the National Alliance on Mental Illness will also be on site.

Food trucks will be set up outside, and those confirmed include Chick-Fil-A, Moore’s BBQ, Scooter’s Coffee and The Ice Box.

Mueller said by the time the fall craft fair rolls around, people are already shopping for Christmas gifts.

“We will have a little bit of everything… clothes, candles, crafts and gifts, it’s really quite an interesting blend,” she said. “A lot of vendors are repeat vendors that have come the last three or four years.”

She added that the craft fair is a community event and is a lot of fun. She expects the size of the crowd to be more than 500 people this year.

The event will be free to attend at the Chelsea Community Center which is located at 11101 Highway 47.