CHRISTMAS ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOW AT ARENA, HOLIDAY INN

If Rick Werner isn't busy filling orders at his Holiday Happenings shop in Cape Girardeau, he's fielding calls for the 18th Annual Christmas Arts and Crafts Show.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook," Werner said. Werner said he had to close the show to exhibitors as early as last March. "We'll have 400 booths this year and we could have had more if there were more room," he said.

The event is being sponsored by the River Valley Crafters.

The show will take place at two sites : Arena Park and the Holiday Inn Convention Center Saturday and Sunday. Hours on Saturday are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday's show will begin at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.

Admission is $1. Those who are first admitted to Arena Park can gain entry into Holiday Inn for no extra charge. Shuttle buses will be available to transport shoppers from one site to the other.

"I've had calls from North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, you name it," Werner said. "We've had this show for a long time and attract enough shoppers that it seems more and more people want to display their work here."

Among the items on display and for sale will be hand-made quilts, dolls, stitchery, ceramics, stained-glass windows and ornaments, floral arrangements, wreaths, fabric Santas, candles and more.