Beloved pre-Christmas shopping event in 41st year JEFF B. FLINN
Managing Editor
Scammers pretending to represent the popular Oma’s Christmas Fair are targeting vendors, prompting officials to issue a warning.
Oma’s remains such a popular attraction in Kendall County, seldom has Marilyn Culak had to worry about drawing vendors to the pre-Christmas shopping event.
Seller numbers have grown from 35 the first year, in 1984, to more than 100 last year, occupying space in all three halls at the Kendall County Fairgrounds.
Imagine Christmas Fair director Culak’s surprise when a potential vendor contacted her, citing a different contact source than she’d ever seen before.
“One of my vendors had a friend who was interested,” Culak said. “She read me the post and said, ‘Is this legit?’” It was not, and Culak learned that even Christmas is not removed from scammers.
She and the sponsoring Kendall County Fair Association went to work to negate the scam’s posts and reassure vendors that Culak’s contact information is all they need.
“I don’t know where it came from,” Culak said. “It might have been a Facebook post.”
She wasn’t too concerned, as most of her vendors had already paid up — so much so that a waiting list exists.
However, she wants area craftspeople and potential vendors not to fall for the scam: all her spots are already full and there’s no money currently changing hands.
Oma’s is in its 41st year at the fairgrounds and remains a popular Christmas gift pickup spot, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 6 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 7.
The fairgrounds are at Kendall County Fair Grounds Road, off of Texas 46 at Sharon Drive.
Anyone with concerns can call Culak at 830-537-4096 or 210488-6877 or reach her by email at kmculak@ gvtc.com.
“I don’t know where it came from.”
— Marilyn Culak, director
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