DOWAGIAC — Creativity and craftiness will be finding its way back to Dowagiac for the 23rd year in a row.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 16, Theta Mu Sorority of Beta Sigma Phi will be hosting its 23rd annual arts and crafts show at Dowagiac Middle School, 57072 Riverside Dr., Dowagiac. The event will be in conjunction with the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Open House Weekend taking place on Nov. 15 and 16 downtown.

Sherrie File, the president of Theta Mu, joined the sorority in 1982 after growing up in Dowagiac.

The idea for the arts and crafts show started with File and her friend. At the time, craft shows were popular, so the sorority members decided to create their own. The first few craft shows were hosted at the Dowagiac Armory. Then it was moved to Dowagiac Union High School. Now, the craft show is hosted at the Dowagiac Union Middle School.

“It’s a nicer area of how we can set up,” File said.

Theta Mu charges a fee for spaces to be rented out by crafters. They also run a kitchen full of food and serve food for patrons who visit the show. The money raised is donated and kept in Cass County.

Over the years, File said the show has grown to include more than 100 booths. In the first few years of the annual event, 20 to 25 booths would participate.

“Over the years, we’ve just kept growing,” File said. “Since we moved to the middle school, I think people are really noticing that we put on a nice show.”

Last year, Theta Mu took some of its profits and purchased tarps to cover the gym floors. Now, crafters are available to sell their merchandise in the gym.

File said while most of the booth owners are from Michigan, thy have received calls from people out of state interested in participating.

File herself no longer creates crafts. She went from a crafter to a caterer after acquiring Porky’s Party Place in Cassopolis to keep the business in her family. However, she still remembers attending some of her first shows. She sold sweatshirts with her friend at a craft show out in Sister Lakes.

“I enjoyed it, but we both sat there all day and thought, ‘this is crazy. We need to diversify a little bit,’” File said.

The pair started creating little snowmen and other wooden objects to sell. They continued crafting for about four or five years before they took on their own craft show through Theta Mu.

Currently, Theta Mu Sorority has eight members: File, Treasurer Michele Froehlich, Judy Johnson, Karen Dodd, Michala Froehlich, Erika File, Shannon Hatch and Pam Leitz.

“We can really come together and put out some fundraisers,” File said. “We donate a lot of money for just a small group.”

In the past, the sorority has donated money to Cass County Cancer Services, Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services, two $500 scholarships for graduating young women enrolled in Cassopolis Public Schools and Dowagiac Union Schools, the Dowagiac District Library and Ascension Borgess–Lee Hospital.

In addition to hosting the craft and art show, Theta Mu also sponsors families during Christmas time and hosts a golf outing in the spring.

“I’m really proud of our group for being only eight women. We can really pull together a fundraiser and raise a lot of money,” File said.