Bazaar in hands not far from founder

In 1978, the first Sanders County Christmas Bazaar was held by creator Ginny Dyer. It has become a staple tradition each year that invites vendors and shoppers to gather for buying and selling of unique items, needful things, and handmade gifts and crafts. The chairperson position of the bazaar has changed a few times over the years, but even with different leadership the spirit of the event has remained.

In a twist of fate, the bazaar now finds itself in new hands, although not far from the tree that it originally fell from. When word was out the bazaar needed a new chairperson, Janie McFadgen talked with former chairperson Lynn Bierwagen to get more details. “I didn’t realize that it is just one person running the show, I think a lot of people don’t know that,” said McFadgen, who wanted a second opinion on the idea of taking over the bustling event. There was no one better to call for that information than her cousin, and founder of the bazaar, Ginny Dyer. “She told me I would enjoy doing it, so I agreed to take it on,” McFadgen explained, adding that she quickly found out the importance of getting a jumpstart on the planning. “I took over in September, when all application packets had to be mailed out by October 1. It has been a big push, but I’ve had great support along the way and my husband, Ben, has been a great help.”

So far, McFadgen has tallied 56 vendors registered to participate. Booth spaces come in three sizes for peddlers; 6’ x 6’ ($25), 6’ x 10’ ($35), and 10’ x 10’ ($45). Vendors can usually recoup their cost within the first few sales. At the end of the event, vendors tally their gross total earned, subtract the cost of their booth, and donate ten percent of that total to the vendor pot. The funds will be turned into a check made out to the Sheriff’s Christmas Relief Fund that uses donations to acquire gifts to be given to children in the county who might be able to use some extra Christmas cheer. A Christmas dinner with all the trimmings is also delivered to households that have been put on the sheriff’s “nice list.” The booth fee itself goes toward paying for 24-hour event insurance at the high school. Covered up to $1 million, McFadgen shared that the insurance was roughly $200.

Out of the 56 vendors signed up so far, McFadgen estimated there will be 10 – 15 newcomers from Libby, Kalispell, Polson and Sanders County. “Of course, we have a few of the regulars that everyone is used to seeing,” she said, “some of them have been doing this every year since it started.”

Aside from myriad items for sale, a few aspects of the bazaar have become tradition, such as having Santa available for pictures with kids and the young at heart. Part of that tradition seems to include said scheduled Santa calling in to say he can’t make it. And so McFadgen was properly initiated to the position and proved her tenacity by finding someone to fill in.

Another recurring facet to look forward to is the concession stand, which will be run by the Plains and Thompson Falls VFW Post members, selling snacks and drinks to attendees. There will also be door prizes and drawings.

This year’s bazaar will open doors to the public 8 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 2 at the Thompson Falls High School gymnasium. Vendors will begin setup 7 a.m. that morning and the bazaar will run until 4 p.m. For more information call Janie at 880-1506.