DURANT, Okla. (KTEN) — The Durant Chamber of Commerce hosted its 6th annual Magnolia Christmas Fest on Friday and Saturday, presenting shoppers with more than 125 vendors. 

"It puts people in the spirit of Christmas," said Durant Chamber of Commerce executive director Janet Reed.  "As they come to see what we have on exhibit here — our vendors that we have, the quilt show — nine times out of 10, those dollars are going to go back into the community.". 

A new feature this year at the Choctaw Event Center was the Holly Jolly Christmas Quilt Show exhibit featuring 135 holiday-themed quilts. 

Kristen Banks, co-owner of Lulu and Hazel Quilt Shop, said her interest in sewing was "seamless" from a young age. 

"I've been sewing since I was four years old, and when I was 30, I wandered into my local quilt shop and I met some amazing ladies, learned how to make a quilt," she said. "I just had so much fun I just kept coming back."

To Banks, quilting is a lost art. 

"Fast quilts you might do that in a month, but some of these quilts took years, and some of the stories that are on there, it wouldn't be abnormal to take two years, or even six years," she said. "Quilting is more than just a craft or a hobby; it's about connecting, and traditionally it always has been." 

Events that highlight local talent grab the attention of visitors. 

"It's our responsibility to move those people to the Durant area to show what we have to offer in our retail businesses," Reed said. 

Also new this year at the Magnolia Christmas Fest: Pictures with Santa and Native American fancy dressing. The event lasted until 7 Saturday night.