It may still feel like high summer here in the hazy, hot and humid mid-Hudson Valley; but in the realm of retail, seasons seem to keep accelerating. Back-to-school gear appeared on store shelves the instant the previous school year ended, and you can bet that the day after Labor Day, you’ll already be seeing Halloween costumes and candy displays. Can signs counting down the number of shopping days until Christmas be far behind?

In fact, thinking that far ahead may not be such a bad thing when it comes to planning your holiday gift-giving. Starting one’s shopping early allows for the luxury of choosing presents that really seem appropriate for particular recipients and that will more likely be fully appreciated than those chosen in haste as the short, dark days of December slip away. There’s also a lot to be said for spreading the shock to one’s credit cards over a period of several months, rather than having to face an enormous case of buyer’s remorse come January.

Craft fairs are always among the nicest places to shop for gifts that seem more thoughtful and personalized than the usual. While it’s true that a number of local venues host craft fairs as the winter holidays draw near, few offer the wealth of choices and high quality available this weekend at the Ulster County Fairgrounds, as the Woodstock/New Paltz Arts and Crafts Fair makes its second visitation of 2010.

Now in its 29th year, this is one of the nation’s largest annual juried craft fairs, featuring more than 300 vendors of handmade treasures in media that include ceramics, fiber, fine art, furniture, glass, jewelry, landscape arts, leather, metal, mixed media, musical arts, photography and wood. There are whole tents devoted to craft supplies and to artisan foodstuffs – the latter providing especially fertile ground for gift shopping for the friend or family member who already “has everything.” Can one ever possess too many bottles of truffle oil or pear vinegar, or jars of maple wasabi mustard or key lime salsa?

Every edition of this Crafts Fair has some special area of focus, with associated live demonstrations. Labor Day weekend events usually hone in on some aspect of furnituremaking and/or fiber arts. This year, Ferris and Maureen Rugar of LaGrangeville will be showing off their prowess in creating Windsor chairs that they claim are virtually indistinguishable from the ones produced 200 years ago, using traditional materials and techniques. The fiber arts tent will feature demonstrations by the Ulster County Handspinners Guild, along with a return visit by Kellogg’s Alpacas from Scio, New York. Also this weekend, National Geographic photographer Ted Schiffman will be on hand to autograph his new book Treefrogs.

The Crafts Fair always offers lots of fun stuff to eat, a tent with craft activities to keep the littl’uns busy under adult supervision while you shop and high-quality live entertainment. Saturday’s lineup will include Marcille Wallis, local faves the Trapps and the Sweet Clementines. Sunday brings in Dana Edelman, Wildman Jack DiMuccio’s Wildlife Show and the Golden Oldies sound of the Fabulous Phantoms. And on Monday you can hear Barbara Dempsey & Company and All She Wrote.

Situated as always at the Ulster County Fairgrounds on Libertyville Road, on the west bank of the Wallkill a couple of miles south of New Paltz, the Woodstock/New Paltz Arts and Crafts Fair is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, September 4 and 5, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, September 6, Labor Day. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and free for kids age 12 and under. You can get not only more information but also a $1 admission discount coupon by signing up on the Quail Hollow e-mail list at the Fair website at www.quailhollow.com – or look for the Fair’s promotional flyers, which also contain a discount coupon, at local businesses. Remember: As of Labor Day, there are only 109 shopping days left until Christmas!