One of the biggest events in recent months took place at The Bridge Sports and Recreation complex and it did not involve sports or recreation. However, it did draw thousands of spectators.

 

The Second Annual Backwoods Christmas Craft and Vendor Show Saturday, Dec. 7, drew a monster crowd. It also drew a monster number of spectators.

 

Droo Callahan, general manager of The Bridge, talked about it Tuesday. It led off his report to members of The Bridge Advisory Board during their monthly meeting.

 

“We had 135 vendors show up for the event,” said Callahan. “That is significantly up, and we hope we continue to see big numbers for events of this nature in the future. This is by far the greatest number of vendors we’ve had.”

 

Callahan said a head count of those attending was not taken. However, he said it was easily in the thousands for the event that began at noon and ended at 4 p.m.

 

“I’d say it being in the thousands is an easy estimate,” said Callahan. “The goal was to help local and talented vendors to get their product in front of the community before the holiday. It did exceptionally well. The crowd was tremendous.”

 

Callahan said while the facility will focus on sports and recreation, events such as the craft show will continue to be added. He said it is all part of growing the facility for community use.

 

“If left to me, I plan to encourage more community initiatives and endeavors to help find outlets for their talents or trades. That could be craft shows, hunting, fishing, or whatever it may be as we continue to try and expand our footprint,” said Callahan. “As we do that, we’ll do great with some and we’ll probably airball some.”

 

The meeting lasted about 45 minutes before going into executive session. The topics involved financial matters (fee schedule) and advanced planning (future priorities).

 

Prior to that, the largest part of the meeting involved Assistant General Manager Chase Robey. Robey gave a detailed breakdown of the revenue at The Bridge. His presentation drew positive comments from nearly every member of the group that was in attendance.

 

The group also announced its next meeting date. It will be Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 11 a.m.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Droo Callahan, general manager of The Bridge, while Steve Sellas asks a question as fellow Bridge Advisory Committee member Mark Audia listens in the second image. Bottom photo shows Assistant Bridge GM Chase Robey talking during his revenue presentation.