Every year, the Salem United Methodist Church prepares dozens of homemade figurines and Christmas-themed crafts for the annual Christmas at the Factory event. This year’s event will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, located on 1601 South Jackson Street in Salem. It will feature plenty of different vendors.
Proceeds gathered from items sold by Salem United Methodist Church will go toward benevolent services around the community, including the LovePack Backpack Program, Love Angels, Love Thy Neighbor, among others.
The handcrafted home décor items are each made with love by Jann Craig. She doesn’t enjoy painting, but she does enjoy sculpting. She’s happy that her friends, including Carolyn Battery, Carol Dunlap, Joy Manthei, Billie Thies, and Joyce Bradley, like to help her out with their fine-painting skills. Manthei, in fact, loves painting, and has works done by her in Florida and New Jersey.
For years, the Salem United Methodist Church had its own individual bazaar. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, they sadly had to end the tradition; thankfully, it was continued through the Rusty Pig at its own Christmas at the Factory.
“We do this because we like to do it,” said Craig. “But our purpose is to help people.”
