BETHEL — Hundreds of one-of-a-kind items will go on sale Friday, Nov. 27, during the town's Local Craft and Wares Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Bethel Inn Conference Center, off Main Street behind Northeast Bank.

Forty crafters and others will gather at the center to provide Christmas shoppers with an opportunity to buy local, said Robin Zinchuk, executive director of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce.

In a simultaneous event, 20 Bethel businesses will participate in the Local Rewards program by offering a nonrushed shopping experience, Zinchuk said.

Oxford Networks will sponsor free horse-drawn wagon rides through Bethel Village from 2 to 4 p.m. Interested riders should gather in front of the Bethel library on the Bethel Common.

Although the Wares Fair closes at 4 p.m., Zinchuk said most of the participating stores would remain open for another hour.

Both events launch Bethel's annual Country Christmas event, which runs from Nov. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 24. Several events are lined up for every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Among the offerings are wagon rides through the village; a Taste of Bethel and Theme Wreath Auction on Saturday, Dec. 5; open houses; shopping specials; Christmas tree lighting; caroling; and the Living Nativity on Sunday, Dec. 20. Oh, and Santa, too.

Area restaurants offer samples of their menu items in the Taste of Bethel event, and for the silent auction, area businesses decorate wreaths based on a common theme.

For more information on the Local Wares & Crafts Fair and Bethel's upcoming Country Christmas, call the Bethel Area Chamber of Commerce at 824-2282 or visit www.bethelmaine.com.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com