Sanbornville church's Calico Fair hailed a success

Faigoers peruse the book table, foreground, and bake table, behind, during Saturday's Calico Fair at St. John the Baptist Church in Sanbornville, N.H. (Julia Stackpole photo)

SANBORNVILLE, N.H. - The Calico Fair at St. John the Baptist was hailed a success by fair organizers on Sunday thanks, in part, to a lively live auction that put heirloom furniture and sports memorabilia like a Tom Brady signed football up for bid.

And the bidders responded.

It was estimated the church's largest fund-raiser of the year garnered some $5,000, with money also raised from the fair's yard sale, chicken barbecue dinner, strawberry shortcake, root beer floats, bake and bling tables and resident church clown Butterfingers who did face painting and balloon animals for church Sunday school donations.

After a couple of random raindrops fell midmorning, blue skies and puffy clouds ruled the day, making for a spectacular backdrop to the popular fair.

The church's pastor, the Rev. Sue Poulin, said on Sunday she was thrilled with the turnout and the fund-raising bottom line.

The Sanbornville Episcopal church suffered a slight setback earlier this summer when a portion of the ceiling in the main church gave way and tumbled to the church's floor, luckily at a time when there were no services and no one was in the church.

Renovations are now under way and it is hoped services can return to the main building as early as this month.

In the meantime, services are being held on the second floor of the nearby Parish Hall.