HANSVILLE — On the edge of the holiday season, the Hansville Arts and Crafts Guild is ready to wrap with gusto as it prepares to host its 18th annual arts bazaar Friday and Saturday. Members are decorating the Hansville Community Center with lights and art, looking to entice residents into that special holiday frame of mind.

Since 1988, guild members have been creating unique items which North End residents can either give to others or keep for themselves, said guild president Sandra Wright.

“We try to have different and new items every year,” she said, adding that each bazaar has something that makes it stand out from the others. “This year, we’re turning part of the community center into a Holiday Cafe. La La Land Chocolates is catering, and they’re going to have everything, including a chocolate fountain.”

The chocolate is just the icing on the fruitcake, however, as guild members ready their wares for sale. Bazaar shoppers will have a wide selection of booths to chose from that include items from ceramics and paintings to woodworking, basket weaving and jewelry, said event chairwoman Gale Johnson.

“We’re really hoping to help people jump start their holiday shopping,” she said.

“We’ve made it a point for years, even before we moved to Hansville, to look for something unusual that you don’t normally find in the stores,” said guild member Mary Marler. “I look for something to buy for myself that I know I’ll appreciate forever.”

The bazaar will also feature various raffles, including gift baskets with holiday themes and works from different vendors, quilts and even a custom-made Santa, Johnson said.

“The people that come are just wonderful, they so look forward to the bazaar and the vendors,” Wright said of her favorite part of the event. “I look forward to seeing everyone who comes, and watching them have a good time.”

“It’s going to be beautiful this year,” Johnson said, adding that the Holiday Cafe will add a unique Christmas flair to the event. “This year, we wanted to offer something special for the area. There aren’t any restaurants up here really, so we thought this would be a wonderful idea.”