Only in Alaska : Crafter's Smackdown

Promo Photo courtesy of PS Photography Alaska

         A Sunday afternoon craft event generally evokes images of clicking knitting needles and Chatty Cathies catching up over tea. Less often do you hear shouts of "You wouldn't know a pom-pom if it bit you in the foot!" flying between tension-filled teams of crafters ready to do anything, including bribery, to win.
        But then again it's not every Sunday that the Crafter's Smackdown rolls into town. In fact, you can only catch this crafty chaos once a year in Anchorage, and this year it lands, ironically, on the day of love, February 14.
        Merriam-Webster defines "smackdown" as "a contest in entertainment wrestling" among other things. Combine that with a few glue guns, some random reusable crafting fodder, a few team-elimination rounds, sanctioned bribery, and a winning prize and you have the makings for the 5th Annual Crafter's Smackdown. Kooky though it sounds, this brainchild of Leah Magid and Tara Witterholt is really a clever fundraiser to make money for the non-profit preschool run by the Congregation Beth Sholom, and its ReCreation program. The program focuses on teaching children ways to turn recycled goods into art and upcycling to aid the community.

 The Craft Lady of Molybdenum, Jackie Shepherd, crafting her New Alaskan Seat of Power (secret ingredient: broken chair)

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