It's the time of year when people are searching for good deals on unusual and one-of-a-kind gifts for the holidays. One place to find that special gift was at the annual Holiday Craft Fair held Sunday at the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown.

"They have beautiful things and at such great prices," said June M. Phalen, who came to the fair with family members who were visiting for Thanksgiving. "I'm looking for Christmas gifts, but I've also found some great old chairs that were redone which I'm getting for myself. It's a nice way to end the holiday weekend."

The annual fair has been a fundraiser for Hospice of Jefferson County for years. This year the fair had a second beneficiary: the YMCA Blue Sharks Swim Team. The swim team is taking over the annual event and will host the fair by itself next year.

"This kind of thing is better for the Blue Sharks," said Roger J. Ambrose, one of the organizers for the swim team. "We'll make between $3,000 and $4,000, which is a good amount of money for the Blue Sharks."

The money will go toward paying for coaches and pool time at both Watertown High School and H.T. Wiley Intermediate School, where the team of about 80 swimmers practices.

"This will help lower the cost for families so that all families from all incomes can participate," said John T. O'Driscoll, Theresa, vice president of the team. "The Blue Sharks are trying to have a few big fundraisers instead of selling the same stuff that everyone else sells."

The fair brought together about 70 vendors, mostly from Jefferson County, to the lobby and second floor of the building. Door prizes were raffled off while vendors sold their wares. Tables were full of Christmas decorations, handmade jewelry, tablecloths and place mats and homemade fudge.

"When I can do a show where the proceeds go to a fire department or to Hospice, it's great and I really enjoy it," said Linda M. Brouty-Baxter, who owns a seasonal craft store, Linda's Patchwork, at Alexandria Bay.

Mrs. Brouty-Baxter used to participate in the holiday fair every year, but found herself attending fairs farther away for the past 15 years. Now that she's back, it's just how she remembers it.

"The people are just as nice and since it coincides with the parade, it works well together," she said.

The annual Watertown Holiday Parade and the Holiday Craft Fair are traditionally held the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The parade ends in front of the state office building, and that is when organizers say things get busy.

Talk of a stagnant economy didn't seem to hurt the craft fair.

"People are going to buy Christmas gifts no matter what," said Jerry F. Higby, Pulaski, who came to the fair with handmade wooden boxes and toys. "I think a lot of people are sick of the plastic stamped-out toys and are going back to the homemade things. I get a lot of people who are nostalgic and say, 'When I was growing up, my grandfather used to make me something like this every year.'"