20th Annual Homemaker Arts and Craft Show and Sale nears

By Staff
Patty Swearingen / MSU extension service county director
September 5, 2004
Plans are well underway for the 20th Annual Homemaker Arts and Craft Show and Sale and we don't want you to miss it. It's scheduled for Nov. 6 and 7 at the Frank Cochran Center in Highland Park.
Participating in this event is an excellent way for area craftsmen to sell their handmade items, plus it's a great way for all the rest of us to start our Christmas shopping early.
Eighty booths will feature a large array of handmade items that would make perfect gift items. Everything from purses, woodcrafts, toys, candles, holiday signs, appliqud shirts, jewelry, home-baked goodies and more will be on sale.
I love working with the homemakers in preparing for this event. It not only gives us the opportunity to salute area craftsmen but any money made is used by the Mississippi Homemaker Volunteers members for community service projects, plus it gives me the opportunity to work closely with a group of people that I know are making a difference in the lives of others. Also, it's a fun way to get in the Christmas spirit a little early.
If you have a special talent in making handmade items and would like to be an exhibitor for this year's show, there is still time for you to make a reservation. We still have a few spaces available. The spaces are $25 and are 10-by-10 feet with two tables and two chairs.
If you are a consumer, I definitely encourage you to mark Nov. 6 and 7 on your calendar and plan to join us for a great week-end of shopping. For more information on this 20th anniversary event, please call our office at 482-9764.
Why do we laugh?
Most agree that we laugh when we find something humorous.
Scientifically speaking, laughter is a two-part physiological and spontaneous, response to humor, that has physiological, psychological and physical benefits.
First is a set of gestures and the second, the production of sound. From a physiological standpoint, a "sensor" in the brain responds to laughter by triggering other neural circuits in the brain, which, in turn, generate more laughter. This laughter promotes healing, by lowering the blood pressure, and by increasing the vascular blood flow and the oxygenation of the blood.
Physical fitness stemming from laughter is a benefit most people don't know about. Scientists estimate that laughing 100 times is equivalent to a 10-minute workout on a rowing machine, or to 15 minutes on a stationary exercise bike. The mere act of laughing exercises the diaphragm, as well as the abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg, and back muscles.
From a psychological standpoint it improves our overall mental health. Pent-up negative emotions, such as anger, fear and sadness, can cause biochemical changes in our bodies that can produce a harmful effect. Laughter provides a harmless outlet for these negative emotions, and provides a coping mechanism for dealing with difficult or stressful situations.
In the near future take time to laugh and enjoy the benefits of it.