Home Grown Alternatives are back this Saturday for the ninth year in a row.

The pre-Christmas sale of locally produced art ware, pottery, earthenware, stoneware, hand-painted t-shirts, decorative tiles, sea-glass jewellery, Bibles, papier mache creations, glass blown ornaments, rum cakes, hand rolled beeswax candles, hand made dolls and a host of other delights will be some of the features of the day.

The motto is that they have always supported ?Buy Bermuda? ? they actually support ?Buy Made in Bermuda?. The event, which features local jazz musician Shine Hayward, takes place at St. Paul?s Christian Education Centre, Middle Road, Paget, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The artists and craftspeople taking part in the event are Burton Jones, Carole Holding, Charmaine and Jerry Friday, Cheryl Adcock, Christine Wellman, David Semos, Dena Lister, Denise Giles-Woodhouse, Heidi Smith, Jacquie Lohan, Jeremy Johnson, Jonathan Northcott, Leslie James, Lyn Vaughan, Lynn Morrell, Mary Tatem, Rose-Ann Wales, Sandra O?Brien, Suzie Lowe, Tricia Phillips, and Wendy Avery and Tony Jones.

The organisers of the annual event are Christine Wellman and Mary Tatem who both began in the cottage industry the former Sonesta Beach Resort, now Wyndham Resorts. The idea for the Home Grown Alternatives was the brain child of Mrs. Tatem. ?I asked her if she wanted to be involved and she has carried the show on numerous occasions,? she said, ?We are a committee now.?

Mrs. Wellman said the show has evolved where artists are using HGA to showcase their other works. ?They are showing their new work for the next season,? she said. ?So even though some people might say it has been going on for the last nine years we are always changing, always developing and always pushing the envelope. And I think that is what it has turned into, as well as being one of the premier art and gift shows.?

Mrs. Tatem said she had always worked with sea glass and for Christmas she has naturals.

?I am known for my grape vine and I do reefs as well,? she said.

Burton Jones will have his cedar aromatherapy products, said Mrs. Wellman and then Jeremy Johnson will be showing his fine furniture. ?People come looking for specifics and they come early,? said Mrs. Wellman. ?We have a staunch following.?

And Mrs. Tatem said the participants also have their own followings and they follow the particular artist.

?We all send fliers out to our own guests,? she said. ?We ask our people to male a really attractive display ? this is not Harbour Nights ? it is special.?

Johhn Northcutt will have his pots with crushed glass and other inventions said his wife Feven Binega-Northcutt.

?He does his pots and candleholders where he recycles beer bottles,? she said, ?It is a mix of green and blue cracked glass, either at the middle or the edge and he fires it and it becomes smooth.?

The Home Grown Alternatives event takes place on Saturday morning and begins at 10 a.m. For more information on participants visit www.homegrownalternatives.com.