Wrangell Sentinel -

Christmas and commerce were on local minds Friday night.

The Wrangell Chamber of Commerce's annual Midnight Madness, prominently features discount sales at larger stores along Front Street, as well as highlighting individual boutique and craft businesses. The event officially kicked off at 6 p.m. with the official lighting of the borough Christmas tree, which featured local high school students caroling in front of Ottesen's, a brief fireworks display, and roasted marshmallows.

"Thank you to my wife Cyni, and the Board of Directors at the Wrangell Chamber of Commerce who have worked hard to make this event a success," John Waddington told a crowd who braved frigid temperatures to huddle around barrel fires and cheer on the lighting of the tree.

"Shop late and shop local," he added, repeating the event's slogan.

Shoppers afterwards descended on Front Street stores in droves, hunting for storewide bargains at the larger stores and restaurants downtown.

Earlier in the day, local craftspeople also showcased their wares in the dining room at the Stikine Inn. The crafts ranged from hand-knitted wares and books on the history of Meyer's Chuck to the Jade Sisters' Chinese-themed dog- and people-biscuit stand.

The sisters – Jing and Sophie O'Brien (almost 10 and 12 years old, respectively) – started making different varieties of dog treats in the last two weeks with a little help from mom.

"We have this little cookbook, and so we just decided to cook it for our dog (Nala) one day, and she loved it," Sophie said.

Business was going well, Jing said. She pointed out the different varieties.

"Low-fat has less fat than the other ones," Jing said. "So for old dogs that don't get much exercise, they can still have treats."

The other varieties include holiday treats with lots of special ingredients – including beef bullion – area pooches might not get on a regular basis.

Jing and Sophie used Chinese lanterns and bright red colors to decorate their stand in part because they were adopted from China. However, not everything about the stand was Chinese-themed, Jing said.

"This is the snowflake that I made, and it has nothing to do with China," she said. "Well, except that it snows (in China)."

The sisters estimated they'd made about 500 dog biscuits altogether and were donating part of their proceeds to the St. Francis Animal shelter.

"It was really hard work making them," Sophie said.

Brian O'Connor

Jing O'Brien, left, and Sophie O'Brien "worked very hard" baking homemade dog treats (with a little help from mom). They showcased their wares in one of two bazaars held Friday as part of Midnight Madness.

Other entrepreneurs were a little more profit, and less canine, oriented.

Jo Wendell was selling hand-crafted jewelry, exotic-looking dyed socks and some silk scarves. It was her sixth year at the bazaar, and while she doesn't make enough to retire on, she does make a pretty penny.

"This is pin money," she said. "It supports my art habit."

At a second bazaar on the second floor of the Elks Club, Terree Lee was selling paintings. She started painting about a year ago after trying several different crafts. Business was booming, she said.

"I finally found my niche," she said.

"A neighbor of mine asked me to commission a painting," Lee added.

Still, the best paintings weren't necessarily those eager shoppers gazed at as they wandered from booth to booth in the bazaar, Lee said.

"No, the best ones are at my house, on my walls,"

she said.