Crowd turns out for Irem arts and crafts show

Oct. 1—DALLAS — Surrounded by beautiful fall foliage and picturesque hills of Dallas, the Irem Shrine held its annual arts and crafts show on Sunday in and around the pavilion located just behind the shrine's clubhouse and golf course.

The weather was mild and sunny, with the occasional wind gust, and attendees got the chance to see the beautiful reds, oranges and yellows of the changing leaves while browsing local craft and food vendors.

They sold everything from blankets and paintings to soaps and wreaths. Local businesses such as Deep Roots Hard Cider and Staggering Unicorn Winery offered beverage samples and Cibo's Pizza food truck served up some delicious Italian cuisine.

Inside the pavilion, even more craft vendors could be found, along with more food options. Members of the Irem String Band performed onstage through out the afternoon.

"This goes back to when we were still at the mosque on North Franklin Street," said High Priest and Prophet, Mike Ruger. "It's been an ongoing event for the last 38 years."

The history of the Irem Temple in the Northeast area is storied, dating back to 1895. In 1908, a permanent home for the temple was established on South Franklin Street in Wilkes-Barre. The Shrine Center relocated from that spot decades ago and its current location in Dallas also features the 355-acre campus of Irem Country Club. The pavilion were the arts and crafts show was held is the largest covered pavilion in the state, capable of seating over 500 people.

Since its inception in the late 1800s, membership today includes roughly 1,500 people, across 17 counties in NEPA.

It's a legacy that continues partly due to fundraisers like this, as well as generous support from the community. Ruger said that proceeds from this year's event, which includes raffle bask donations, will go toward next year's Potentate, the highest position on the Imperial Divan, a role Ruger is expected to assume in 2026.

As for attendance at this year's craft show, Ruger said it's been good, but they will probably never achieve the numbers they did when COVID-19 precautions were first lifted.

"I stopped counting at about 1,000 people when it was only 12 p.m.," said Ruger. "People just wanted to get back into some mode of reality."

There was a large turnout Sunday, which included Carol and Kelsey Camacho, of Scranton, who returned to the event this year to sell some of their homemade crafts.

"We came last year, but just visitors so we were familiar with it," said Carol Camacho.

Their craft business, C + K Creations, started as a hobby, which quickly grew into a small business. Crafts shows like Irem Shrine's play a huge part in getting exposure for their work.

"We meet a lot of people and I like to talk, so," Carol laughed.

Irem Shrine is set to have two more big events this month leading up to Halloween, including its annual Trunk or Treat on Oct. 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. and a Halloween Monster Ball in Oct. 21 from 6 to 10 p.m.