Bazaar fever

Don’t panic.

I know your Halloween decorations probably aren’t put away yet. But that doesn’t keep Thanksgiving and Christmas from being just around the corner.

Remain calm. I’ll let you in on a little secret: getting ready for the holiday season is as easy as reading your friendly local newspaper calendar.

That’s where you’ll find a bounty of listings for holiday bazaars. It’s not only an opportunity to get in the spirit for the next round of holidays, but it’s also a way to lend support to local community groups in their fundraising efforts.

There’s nothing quite like the sensory gifts of a holiday bazaar to get you in the mood for the holiday season. Walk in the door of any bazaar and your senses are immediately flooded with festive lights, fresh baked goods, and an all around sense of good cheer.

While the market bazaar was an everyday fixture of our ancestors’ lives, the tradition today has evolved into a viable means for many non-profit groups to raise funds for their organization’s projects.

The Mountlake Terrace High School Holiday Bazaar on Nov. 3 is a fundraiser to help pay for the senior class all night party on graduation night, an alcohol and drug-free event.

“Tickets for the all night party at our school are much less expensive because of how much money this event raises toward it,” said Nichole Wright, one of the event’s volunteer coordinators, which include parent boosters and students. There is also a scholarship fund for students that need financial assistance in order to attend.

If shoppers don’t find what they’re looking for among the numerous arts &crafts vendors, the bazaar also features a bake sale, a cafe, and a raffle. The senior class will have a table selling holiday wreaths, and proceeds from those sales benefit the senior class as well.

St. Pius X Catholic Church in Mountlake Terrace is gearing up for its 18th annual bazaar Nov. 10 and 11. It’s always been a popular event with shoppers, said Kathy Murphy, bazaar chairman, and even more so this year with vendors who have already “booked-up” the space reservations. “This has never happened this soon before our event,” Murphy said.

This year’s vendors include artists offering bead work, sewing, embroidery, knitting, soap making, candy and other foods. “They are all so very talented at whatever they do,” Murphy said. “The thing that I find interesting is that many of these people — mostly women — spend hundreds of hours putting together their particular items. Some of them do it while holding down full-time jobs.”