Still holding on to that old lamp that doesn’t work? McHenry County College may have a solution for you.
Repair Fairs take place across the country. The community college is offering one this month. Kim Hankins is the director of sustainability at the college. She is also on the board of Environmental Defenders of McHenry County. This nonprofit works on preserving and protecting the environment.
Hankins said the event will give the community a place to get things fixed like buttons that need to be put back on a piece of clothing.
“Or there's a hole in your shirt, or whatever it might be,” she added. “We're not doing tailoring, so don't bring us a suit and want us to tailor it to a different size, but maybe someday. We're doing small appliances.”
The event will also offer bicycle repair.
Hankins said people are warning her that the fair may be a lot bigger than expected due to changes in U.S. tariff policies.
“People are starting to realize that maybe things are going to be more expensive,” she said. “Not maybe. Most likely things are going to be more expensive than we really want them to be. And maybe we can't go out and buy a new whatever for cheap, or order something off of Amazon for cheap.”
Erin Kennedy is the executive director of Environmental Defenders. She said this is the first time McHenry County is offering this type of event.
“My experiences have been either in the city of Chicago or just on the outskirts,” she said. “So, it's nice that, you know, we can bring this to a new audience and really kind of engage them in an opportunity that they might not have been able to participate in just due to, you know, distance or logistics.”
There is a limit of three items per person.
The repair fair will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 15, at the college, 8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, Ill. Hankins said there is no guarantee that all items will be fixed. There will be a Spanish translator.
