THREE ARTS AND CRAFTS SHOWS ON TAP THIS WEEKEND

The granddaddy of this weekend's crafts events is the 25th annual Christmas Arts & Crafts Bazaar put on by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri at the Show Me Center. The bazaar annually draws 10,000 to 12,000 people to the building and this one will offer about 350 booths.

Times are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $1.

Over at the A.C. Brase Arena Building and the Holiday Inn Convention Center, it's the River Valley Craft Fair Christmas Expo '95. That event is in its 19th year of offering an alternative to the Arts Council extravaganza. It is run by Rick Werner.

The show will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Admission also is $1, which gains entry into both venues. A free shuttle bus will take visitors between the sites.

Entering the city's weekend craft blowout for the first time this year are Susan and James Watkins, who run a crafts business in Oak Ridge. Their show is called the first annual Christmas at the Armory.

The Watkinses decided to open a show because they, like a number of others, were unable to get into the jam-packed other shows as crafters. Their show will be open at the National Guard Armory from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

Susan Watkins said the show will offer larger-than-usual booth spaces and aisles, along with homemade food to include chili, soup, barbecue and homemade yeast pastries.

Crafters from four states are signed up for the 50 booths, and the couple already has a waiting list.