The simplicity of them, the people that make them happen, the atmosphere, the food, the handcrafted items made throughout the year by the local parishioners, the aromas, the hustle and bustle, the next generation of children running around while their parents work the fair. It's all so innocent to me. It's so 1950's to me.
My mother was a volunteer for her church for years. She not only donated her money but her time as well.
All throughout the year she would knit or crochet items to donate for the church bazaar. She never would ask for money for the yarn, she would buy it with the little money she had at the time and donate the knitted items for the church to sell to raise money to run the church.
Through the years as we got older she involved her children. We had to volunteer as well. I could not knit like she could, she was a true knitter creating beautiful items that people would wait in line for each year to buy. She would make beautiful children's sweaters, scarves, gloves, mittens, slippers etc...I kept all the sweaters she made for my children throughout the years, keeping them for my kids, kids!
This is how my love for church fairs started. The smells from the kitchens, the amazing boiled hot dog with sauerkraut or the fried dough pizza, the smells still fill my head with such wonderful memories.
The dedication the parishioners had for their church, getting nothing in return but the pleasure of helping out the church by donating their time and skills.
As my mother aged, my sisters and I took on more work at the bazaar. The regulars who ran it for so long, who we looked up to were getting on in the years, my mother included. She knew she would have to bring in some younger people to keep the tradition going. My sisters and I took over the Christmas booth!
Yikes! How could we do what those before us had created? Amazing hand made ornaments that were absolutely perfectly crafted by their hands...Sewn to perfection. I could not do what they had. I still have some of the things those ladies made. They had so much passion in what they did. Their displays set up so perfect, so inviting. To those ladies of the St Francis Church bazaar I say thank you for giving us the inspiration to try and do what you had done for so many years. So many are gone now including my mom but the memories will never leave us. Since their days of handmade ornaments, "China" happened and Christmas Tree shops popped up across the East coast, and who can compete with that? You have to be a crafts person to appreciate hand made items. Most people would rather spend a dollar on something made in China that they can throw away if they get sick of it rather than five dollars on a handmade ornament. Sad to say, it changed the St. Francis Church
Christmas Bazaar, Christmas table. We could not compete with items made in China. Fabric and crafts are costly..you need time to make crafts and back in the days of my mom and her friends, they were stay at home moms! My sisters and I have families and work full time.
Coming home from work and dealing with the kids and then trying to sew and create handmade items is hard and time consuming! I was tired after working all day, coming home making dinner and making sure the kids homework was done.
So we did it for a few years with our sales for the booth getting less and less each year. We got to the point were we couldn't give the time any more. We started buying wholesale items made in you guessed it "China" to sell. It was easier to buy items wholesale and resell them then try and make them and resell them. We then got some of our daughters involved and brought in a jewelry booth with donated jewelry from the parishioners and tag sales that we had scoured throughout the year. They had fun, they also brought in purses, belts and scarves and did that for a couple of years. Once they got to college age they did not have the time anymore. It is still a booth at the bazaar but the parents of the school children run it now.
So now we spend our time going to fairs instead of working at one.
I love a church fair and my sisters and I make sure we make time to go to all the local fairs to donate our money to a church or house of worship of any denomination. It does not matter who or what you worship, we are giving to those who put in the work to run a fair for their place of worship. It's what our mother taught us. Donate to the church! No matter where or who. It's hard to raise money for anything let alone a small church in a big city who's parishioners have fled to the suburbs! They are left with a small congregation and less money in the weekly giving baskets to run the church.
So off we go to the fairs full of handmade items, good food, baked goods, games for the kids, tag sale items,
jewelry, plants, crafts, antiques, junk raffles and good old fashioned fun!
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