Annual Christmas Bazaar canceled

by Annie Wooden

The popular Sanders County Christmas Bazaar, held each December at Thompson Falls High School, has been forced to cancel this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizer Janie McFadgen said that COVID-19 was the main factor in deciding to cancel the event, as there was not a venue big enough to host the bazaar. Thompson Falls School Superintendent Bud Scully said he talked to the school’s insurance company and the risk was too high.

McFadgen said the bazaar has 50-60 vendors each year, and added the only venues big enough would be schools, in order to comply with state recommendations. She looked at other options, including spreading out vendors and holding the event over two weekends, or even doing a drive-thru bazaar with vendors. “A lot of our vendors are older people,” McFadgen added. “It’s not a wise idea. I couldn’t ask vendors to be outside.”

McFadgen took over the bazaar when Ginny Dyer retired from organizing the event, which raises money for the Sanders County Sheriff’s Relief Fund. “We’ve never not had it since Ginny started it,” noted McFadgen, who also is a vendor at the event. “Our vendors have had all this time to work on stuff for Christmas and now they can’t sell it. As a vendor myself, I understand that, but if we don’t have a venue big enough, my hands are basically tied because of it.

“It’s not just (the Sheriff’s Relief Fund) that’s missing the donations,” McFadgen noted. “I was a recipient as a youth, so I understand there are some children out there that would have gotten some gifts.” Because the Sheriff’s Relief Fund won’t get that donation from bazaar vendors, McFadgen encourages residents to donate to local organizations to help out during the holidays.