With the race to the end of the semester rapidly approaching, another race will soon begin. The holiday season is advancing at an alarming rate, which means students will soon partake in the mad scramble for gifts in the spirit of Christmas.

On the other hand, the scavenger hunt for holiday gifts doesn’t have to be reason for stress. The Ashland Symphony Women’s League, a group that financially supports the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, hosted their annual event Dazzle, described in promotional materials as “a unique holiday shopping experience,” Nov. 14 in Upper Convo.

An event that has been taking place for a number of years to raise money for the orchestra, Dazzle features a variety of vendors with Christmas-themed crafts, jewelry and other products.

This year, Dazzle featured a kaleidoscopic grab-bag of items sure to appeal to anybody. Over 70 vendors participated in this year’s event, selling products from scarves to synthetic snowmen.

Diane Wilkovich is one such vendor, whose business is named “Snowmen Paradise,” which offers exactly what the name suggests: snowmen items, and lots of them.

Wilkovich is the owner of the business and has been at Dazzle for the past two years. Both years she has been successful and expects the same for this year.

Also experiencing the sweet taste of success is the Pampered Chef, which has been at Dazzle for four years.

Vicky Sitterly, a representative of the culinary business, expressed how being a part of Dazzle has helped her not just through sales, but through networking.

“Every year I meet new people,” Sitterly said. With direct-selling businesses, connections are crucial.

Steve Lowrie is another Dazzle veteran who has reported very positive experiences.

Lowrie owns a local jewelry store that just opened in Ashland and featured beads that adorn the wildly-popular Pandora bracelets.

Many vendors had showcased similar items, though Lowrie has a competitive edge.

“With the price of Pandora being $35 a bead and up, and ours being $4 a bead, you can’t beat that,” Lowrie said.

Dazzle requires a daunting amount of planning

The league starts planning the event in summer, according to Ann Guthrie, Ashland Symphony Orchestra board of directors president and Ashland Symphony Women’s League board member.

“We [Ashland Symphony Women’s League Governing Board] have been meeting weekly for a couple months now trying to get everything nailed down,” Guthrie said.

“It’s a long process,” she added. “Dotty Tennis, who is one of the women involved, contacts vendors throughout the year and even contacts them before they leave this time with information for next year.”

In hopes of branching out and making themselves known to the public, several new vendors took part in Dazzle as well.

Wildtree, a direct-selling business that specializes in healthy yet flavorful foods, attended Dazzle for the first time.

Debbie Clemons, a representative of Wildtree, was more than happy to divulge information about the delicious delicacies that the company has to offer.

“We sell oils, dressings, desserts, dips, seasonings…It’s all healthy and [most products] have antioxidants, such as the Wildberry Dressing,” Clemons said. “With the oils, you just use a little bit and it sears in the flavors of the meat. You don’t need the steak sauce because it holds in the meat flavor.”

Clemons boasted that Wildtree creates products that are potent in flavor yet nourishing.

“Even the chocolate’s healthy for you!” Clemons said.

Also selling at Dazzle were many small-business vendors who offered unusual items.

Firestone Candles is one such example, which is described by owner Renee Flynn as “rock candles with an oil reservoir.” Flynn stated Firestone Candles is a family business that gains publicity through participating in various craft shows. The vibrant, glittering aesthetic pieces are sure to gain attention even without much advertisement.

On a much grander scale is Butterflies and Things, a world-known business that has been selling preserved insects and other squirm-inducing critters for 33 years.

Co-owner Connie Hurt, whose alias is “The Butterfly Lady,” is fully aware of the shock factor involved when people see the exotic butterflies and other insects encased in glass.

“These are butterflies and insects from around the world, they’re all real, and we get the majority of them from butterfly farms,” Hurt said. “I supply most of the major museums in the world, as well as their gift shops. They range in price from a few dollars to several hundred or more.”

Like many other vendors, this is Hurt and her husband’s first time at Dazzle, and they aspire to continue drawing attention to their unusual business.

Also new this year is Treasures from the Attic, a section of Dazzle that sells vintage and gently-used items.

“[People have] donated vintage items, some heirlooms and antiques,” Guthrie said. “We’ve got some really cool stuff.”

In lieu of the usual Ashland Symphony store that sells music-related items, this mini-resale shop offers a variety of unique bargains that could appeal to a large range of customers.

“Treasures from the Attic [encourages] League members to see what they have that they no longer need, they no longer use, that might be of interest to other people,” Guthrie said. “We’ve had tremendous response. We have hardback books, paperback books; we have a vintage wedding dress, and an antique drop-leaf table, tables and chairs…just all kinds of things, from knick-knacky things to really nice antiques.”

Whatever is purchased at Treasures from the Attic will directly profit the Ashland Symphony Orchestra. However, with all the commotion attached to Dazzle, some people may not realize the main purpose is to support the orchestra. It is a fundraising event that rakes in the majority of the group’s profits.

“The event is to support the symphony,” Guthrie said. “That’s our purpose.”

She said she believes the effort, despite the extensive work involved, is worth it.

“It’s a wonderful fundraiser,” Guthrie said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s a good fundraiser.”

Reportedly, Dazzle has brought in around $6-8 thousand dollars in the past.