More than 200 booths will fill Plainfield High School’s Central Campus on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, as the Plainfield Band Boosters host their 28th annual fall craft show to raise money for band programs across the district’s four high schools. The show runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, with admission set at $5 for anyone 12 and older and free for younger kids.
According to a news release detailed by Shaw Local, proceeds from the weekend will support band programs at Plainfield Central, Plainfield East, Plainfield North and Plainfield South high schools. Shoppers can browse booths of crafts and gifts, grab food and bake sale items including baked potatoes, and bring strollers along for the walk through the fieldhouse. The event raised more than $40,000 last year to support those band programs, per the same release, and more information is available at plainfieldcraftshow.org.
A Fundraiser With District Roots
The craft show didn’t start out as a 200-booth affair. It began in 1998 under then-booster president Margie Bonuchi with just 80 crafters filling the Central Campus fieldhouse, according to the Plainfield Hometown Irish Parade.
Financially, the event has also climbed steadily. More than $36,000 was raised at the 25th annual show in 2022, compared with more than $40,000 in 2025. That growth reflects both the show’s expanding footprint and the rising cost of sustaining instrumental music programs for hundreds of students across the district.
One Fundraiser, Four High School Bands
Plainfield Community Consolidated School District 202 is the fifth-largest public school district in Illinois, enrolling roughly 25,000 students across 31 schools spread over 64 square miles of Will and Kendall counties, including Plainfield, Joliet and Naperville, according to Plainfield CCSD 202. The craft show is a district-wide fundraiser supporting band programs at all four high schools…