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This year when longtime customers come to the annual Christmas
bazaar at First Baptist Church, the workers will be singing "So
long, farewell, it's been good to know you."
Yes, the core group of people who make it happen say this will
be the last one (except for a diehard who adds, "at least,
for a while"). However, Doris Higdon assures the patrons
who have been so supportive, "We don't intend to go out with
a whimper but with a bang! It will be the best one ever."
The bazaar will be held Nov. 20 to 22, with hours from 8 a.m.
to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. until noon Saturday.
As usual, the event will be in the church's fellowship hall, which
is accessible by elevator for those who have difficulty with stairs.
Children at First Baptist Church's Play Factory Preschool enjoy
some of the items slated for sale at the church's Christmas bazaar,
including hand-painted children's chairs, wooden trees and decorative
Santas. The bazaar is set for Thursday, Nov. 20, through Saturday,
Nov. 22. Pictured from left to right are David Cauley, Anna Nixon,
Molly Hawkins, Derek Balliot, Faye Gant, Hannah Mertes, Noah Mertes,
Kaitlin Melton and Emmitt Baldwin. - Herald Photo by Carey
King
Food will be a big item this year. Since Thanksgiving
is the following week, casseroles, breads and desserts will be
available for purchase, to go along with the turkey or to save
for Christmas dinner.
The bazaar will also offer a wide selection of Christmas crafts.
In the hands of First Baptist crafters, simple scraps of cloth
have become a multitude of original creations - shopping bags,
wall hangings, pillows, tree skirts and matching stockings, aprons,
table runners and place mats.
This year will be the last to purchase the bazaar's signature
wreath, made from the money tree. The process to make each wreath
is complicated: workers must climb banks to pick the plants, spend
a morning gathered around an enormous pole of dried pods to rub
off the outer shells, create wreath-shapes, and then spray each
one with gilt paint.
Wreaths to match a variety of decors will also be available, from
dried wreaths, artificial wreaths and grapevine wreaths, to wreaths
decorated with fruits, berries and poinsettias. In addition, swags
for hanging over doorways or mantels will be for sale. Containers
filled with fresh greenery and arrangements with candles will
also be available.
Santa Claus collectors will find many to choose from, and tree-trimmers
will find a wide variety of ornaments.
Reindeer and wooden Christmas trees equipped with bases will also
be for sale, meant to be grouped on porches or around the hearth.
New this year are children's chairs painted with designs such
as animals and balloons. A pair of dolls are also for sale, brought
back from Thailand by a couple who did mission work there.
The centerpiece of the bazaar, Pat McMillan's angel, done in cross-stitch
and framed for hanging, will again take center stage. McMillan
crafts a new one every year with a different picture.
"Don't take our word for it," says First Baptist's Nancy
Farmer. "Just come to see what marvelous collection of goods
we're offering."
Profits from the bazaar go to the "Together We Grow"
fund for future church expansion.
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