Local crafts on display at bazaar

Vendors and holiday shoppers from all over the county made their way to the Thompson Falls High School gym last Saturday, Dec. 4 for the annual Christmas Bazaar. The gym was packed as shoppers perused the locally made crafts and gifts on display at the event.

The bazaar was organized by Ginny Dyer, who started the event nearly three decades ago.

“We started in 1978,” Dyer said.

Saturday marked the event’s 30th year in the high school gym. Originally started in a few smaller venues, the bazaar quickly grew from a small event to a big event.

“That makes me happy,” Dyer said. “This has had a life of it’s own, and I knew that was going to happen.”

There were over 70 different vendors at the event on Saturday, the farthest away this year being from Heron. Dyer sees this as a positive.

“We were pretty much all from the county, and I like that,” Dyer said.

Dyer was inspired by a fall bazaar in the area that featured antiques and collectables, but the event had very few local vendors that had crafts.

“I just wanted to start an event for local people who did that kind of thing,” Dyer said.

When the event started, it was to give local people who did hand crafts a place to show them off and to possibly make a little extra money. In the process, Dyer had been involved with the Sheriff’s Office relief fund, where the deputies would take toys around for many years.

“I heard that that might not happen again, and I thought that can’t be, this is such a good program,” Dyer said.

After organizing the event, Dyer said participants in the event should dedicate the funds to the group so they had a few extra funds to by toys or food. Dyer asked vendors and everyone agreed.

Dyer’s response to the continuing success of the bazaar didn’t bring dollar signs to mind; rather, Dyer sought to share the wealth.

“Having a bazaar that is just for us, what do we do with the extra funds?” Dyer said. “I’m funny that way.”

Organizers of the event adopted the Sheriff’s relief fund, and from the very first bazaar started giving them money.

“And it kept getting more and more and more,” Dyer said.

Near the close of the bazaar, the tally of funds raised neared $1,900, in line with results of last year. All of these proceeds will go to the Sheriff’s Relief Fund.

“So we’ll be handing out over $1,900,” Dyer said.

Dyer stared her involvement in the relief fund initially by refurbishing dolls and making gifts, and that involvement just began to evolve into what she does today. Through it all, the fund has remained near and dear to Dyer’s heart.

“I don’t think anybody should be forgotten at Christmas,” Dyer said.

According to Dyer, the most challenging aspect of organizing the event has been making sure all the details are covered.

“It has a life of its own,” Dyer said. “I have a timeline, and if something happens to put a glitch in that timeline, it makes it harder. I’ve had a little bit more time so that I can get things done.”

Dyer relies on the help of a few local organizations to put the event together.

Young men from the Mountain Meadows Ranch in Thompson Falls volunteer their time to help get the gym ready for the event and put booths together for vendors. The boys come out on Friday, lay out the tarp and tape it and map it for Dyer, indicating where each vendor will go. All told, the boys complete over three hours of hard work for the event, which Dyer hugely appreciates.

“Crawling around on the floor at my age, there’d be no way I could do that,” Dyer said, “and those boys mapped that and then they come back at 4 p.m. on Saturday, and they help break it down. They’re wonderful young men, and they’re doing the community a service when they help like that.”

Dyer also has the National Honors Society at Thompson Falls High School help with the parking arrangements.

She also has the a crew of volunteer elves come forward, who take care of all the details that have to be done on Saturday during the day to make it flow.

“It doesn’t happen on Saturday without the elves’ help, and they are incredible,” Dyer said. “These girls were a marvelous crew.”

For Dyer, all of the hard work pays off when she sees people come out and enjoy the bazaar.

“It’s great, knowing that people come and they appreciate it,” Dyer said. “They come and they shop and spend time. It’s about people, local people. It’s also about making sure that others have something wonderful for Christmas too.”

Dyer also believes in the cause that the bazaar goes to support, and hopes that the relief fund can go to make Christmas special for those in need.

“I would never want a child to wake up Christmas morning and not feel loved,” Dyer said.