The Cowboy Christmas is more than just another craft show — it’s a 27-year tradition in Graham County that gives holiday shoppers a chance to buy handcrafted items for friends and relatives on their Christmas list.

“All proceeds go to the Blake Foundation and stay here in Graham County,” said Cheryl Wilson, organizer of the Cowboy Christmas.

The Cowboy Christmas, Country Christmas and the Reindeer Connection held shows at the fairgrounds Nov. 23 and 24.

Christa Clonts, an owner of Simply Sweets, shows off a stack of specialty boxes displayed at the Reindeer Connection last Friday. Photo by Diane Saunders

The Blake Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving the needs of adults with developmental disabilities. The event has been run by the foundation for the last nine years, Wilson said.

The Cowboy Christmas featured only handcrafted items — no commercially made gift items were allowed to be sold at the event. Wilson said the Cowboy Christmas is a juried show — each exhibitor had to be pre-approved.

Shoppers found leather items, jewelry, birdhouses, wooden toys, items made from horseshoes, dolls and ceramic ornaments.

Fort Thomas resident Roger Kay, one of the founders of the Cowboy Christmas, displayed jewelry.

“We make it ourselves,” said Jeanne Kay, Roger’s wife.

The Kays’ display featured a variety of jewelry made of an array of stones, including turquoise, calacite and quartz. Jeanne said she and her husband travel to shows out of state to sell their jewelry.

“There’s a lot of good people (at the shows),” Roger said.

While many shoppers stopped to admire the jewelry, others watched Safford resident Mel Taylor make a birdhouse. Taylor said he has been making birdhouses and selling them at the show for 18 years.

A relative newcomer to the Cowboy Christmas, Bonnie Grant from Deming, N.M., said this is her second year at the event. She said sales seemed to be at a faster pace than last year.

She made her comments as she stitched red yarn to the head of a Raggedy Ann doll. Her booth contained the popular rag dolls and other handmade fabric items.

Nearby, Safford resident Jayci Gilbert admired a wooden truck that she thought would make a nice gift for her younger brother. The truck and other wooden toys were displayed by Joyce and Calhoon Bailey, owners of J & C Crafts.

“So far, it’s been doing good,” Calhoon said of the show. “It’s our fourth year here.”

Two other fairgrounds buildings housed unrelated craft shows. The Reindeer Connection, organized the last two years by Pearl Cauthen and Mildred McGregor, also featured a variety of craft items, sprinkled between commercial vendors.

Pat Castleberry and her grandson, Hunter Hanson, a fifth-grade student at Lafe Nelson School, sold baked goods in hope of raising enough money for Hanson take an educational trip to Europe.

Castleberry did most of the baking, and Hanson bagged and labeled the items in preparation for the show.

Another booth also featured toothsome treats. Simply Sweets offered chocolates that could be purchased in specialty boxes.

“We do gourmet chocolates, and we do specialty cakes,” said Christa Clonts, who owns and operates Simply Sweets with her sister-in-law, Krista Hancock.

Outdoors, kids could burn off energy in the jumping castle or take a ride on a miniature train offered by the Country Christmas, staged by People for the West. The Country Christmas also featured a variety of craft items and yard decorations.