The annual Kris Kringle Craft Show will be held at the Washington Civic Center Friday, from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The craft show, sponsored by The Blind Center of North Carolina, will feature more than 40 local crafters and vendors selling a variety of goods such as handmade décor, wooden crafts, Christmas ornaments, knitted items, pottery, jewelry and more. In addition to crafts and goods, there will be food available at the event.

“The event basically has two functions,” said Liz Liles, director of The Blind Center. “The first is to support local families, local businesses, local crafters and allow people to shop and to put revenue back into the community. It also helps to promote and support the Blind Center as well, as we are sponsoring it.”

“I love this kind of thing because it makes a difference when you’re shopping, wanting to get something special,” Liles said. “When you can go to something like this and shop for that person rather than going to some large chain store, it just means so much more. You are supporting that local business person who is using their talent to create these items.”

The event, which was previously held at First United Methodist Church in Washington, was moved to the Civic Center last year due to increased interest from vendors. It has become a staple in local holiday celebrations, but the interest doesn’t stop there.

The annual event has such a wide reach that one vendor, author Jay Barber, will be traveling an hour and a half into Washington from Goldsboro to sell his novels at the craft show.

His books “Memories of the Islands” and “The Church at the Fork in the Road” will sell for $15 each. “Memories of the Islands” is a historical narrative of the Barber family in Martin County, while “The Church at the Fork in the Road” is a fictional story about coming together in fellowship.

Barber, the other vendors and The Blind Center expect lots of visitors this weekend, both from Washington and greater North Carolina, making this show one of the largest and most publicized yet.