SALT LAKE CITY — The annual Carmelite Fair will be held Sept. 18 at the Carmelite Monastery in Holladay, and volunteers are collecting silent and live auction items, preparing to set up food and craft booths and making last-minute arrangements. The fair serves as the main financial support for the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery. Annette Kirts has been in charge of the fair’s finance committee for 27 years. She remembers when the event was simply a September afternoon tea. "The sisters lived on the property in Holladay in an old, white, two-story house," she said. Not very many women attended the tea during the 1960s. The sisters would give them a cup of tea and a cookie, and then wash the cups for the next person. They didn’t set up tables and chairs and there wasn’t a crowd. It was rather sedate." Carmelite Sister Catherine Cheney was the extern at the time. Sister Mary Joseph Whipperman, who in later years was well-known as the extern, was a novice. "Sr. Mary Joseph was very quiet and just had a big smile," Kirts said. A few years later, the event started to expand. A fish pond and hotdogs were added for the kids. "Sr. Mary Joseph came up with the idea in the 1970s to start the fair and each year it was headed by a different chairperson," Kirts said. "My mother, Dorothy Jarrell, chaired the fair during the 1970s, and our whole family was involved." In 1984, Sr. Mary Joseph started parceling the fair organization to committees. Kirts became in charge of the finance committee, which includes the script booths, handling money and security. "When the fair grew, we had to have a mass gathering permit and an emergency and police presence, so Gold Cross Ambulance and Holladay City Police Services joined us," Kirts said. "There are about 4,000 people who attend each year, even if it rains." The fair raises funds for the sisters, but equally important is how it builds community, Kirts said. "Volunteers come from Salt Lake, Davis and Tooele counties," she said. "We also have people from different faiths who help in various ways. The Judge Memorial football team comes every year to tear down the booths and this is a gift because we are all so tired by then." In addition to various booths selling items, food and children’s games, the Carmelite Fair includes silent and live auctions, of which Barbara Stilinovich has been in charge for 25 years. "We receive donations from throughout the surrounding areas of the Salt Lake Valley," she said. "Businesses and individuals donate items, which makes it so we don’t have an overhead expense. It has been really successful. We can take donations up to the last second because we use everything we get." Stilinovich said different booths are set up at the fair from handcrafted items to produce. "In our live auction we have things like autographed sports items. We also have booths with children’s toys and clothes, a country store, holiday items and religious goods. Our most successful booth is the sisters’ handcrafted booth; they embroider, crochet and make rosary beads throughout the year. "The sisters are special and many people cross boundaries to help," she said. "There is a Mormon group who do handicraft work all year to donate." Donated items that can’t be used for the auctions are sold at one of the booths, Stilinovich said. "All donations are needed and appreciated." To volunteer or donate items, contact Barbara at 801-278-9160. Donations may be dropped off at the monastery, 5714 Holladay Blvd., Salt Lake City.
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