Marketplace to offer handmade crafts, items

   The Senior Citizens Fair, an event that began as a small craft fair in 1961, will open for its 42nd year Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 23-25, in Amon Carter, Jr. Exhibits Building at the Will Rogers Complex.
   The fair will run 10 a.m.-8 p.m. with a $5 admission fee. Visa and MasterCard are accepted. The fair last year netted more than $200,000 for its participants, including persons at least 55 years of age from Tarrant and surrounding counties.
   Almost 1,000 crafters and hobbyists have made items ranging from paintings, handmade quilts and dolls, clothes, ceramics, live plants and toys to small furniture and yard decorations.
   Special areas are set aside for woodwork, Christmas items, holiday decorations, quilts, dolls and desserts.
   Proceeds from the fair go to the seniors whose merchandise is sold. Participants are asked to donate 5 percent of their sales toward the cost of staging the fair, which is sponsored by Altrusa International of Fort Worth.
   Approximately 113 groups volunteer to help during the fair. Last year 1,600 volunteers worked more than 7,500 hours to help sell items to the public.