Community bazaar Saturday
Organizers of an old-fashioned community bazaar say that Santa's workshop aside, they've got the corner on homemade goodies that go great under the tree.
The FCE Annual Community Bazaar - coming up once again this Saturday - has been offering up everything from cookies to crafts for the past 39 years in Yuma.
The event has become a holiday favorite, with several thousand people attending the bazaar each year.
"This is one of the biggest bazaars in Yuma County and it's one of the best," said organizer Margaret Mai. "Everything being sold is such high quality. I think it's some of the best you'll find."
The bazaar is the annual project of the Yuma County Association for Family and Community Education. The group, which began here in 1963, originally aimed to provide homemaking education to rural housewives who lived too far from town for such opportunities.
Today the group's offerings have changed with the times, but the homemade goodness of the bazaar has remained the same.
FCE Annual Community Bazaar is set for Saturday at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive off Avenue A. Admission is free.
The doors will open at 9 a.m., with the event running through 4 p.m.
Mai said she expects the bazaar will draw quite a few people heading to nearby activities with the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival.
"Coming to the bazaar is a great way to support the community because for some (vendors), in this economy, selling something is a way for them to help themselves. The bazaar is also our big fundraiser, which helps us help the community."
FCE provides scholarships to local high school students or local students who are attending an Arizona college or university.
This year's bazaar will feature 80 vendors showing off their goods on 100 tables.
Perhaps the most popular booth in recent years has been the one offering cinnamon rolls baked by the Yuma School District 1 Food Service.
"They are probably number one," Mai said.
Another popular area each year is the Pecan Grove Garden Club's table, where everything from plants to crafts are sold.
"They always have something good," Mai said. "The Orchid Society, they do big business every year, too."
She added that this year's bazaar will boast several tables selling handmade jewelry.
"We just hope people come out and have a good time. It's a great day to come out and get all your Christmas stuff," Mai said. "There is always such a variety of things. It really is a bit of everything."
