The Balzac Community Hall will be abuzz with activity Nov. 16 and 17, with two holiday-themed events taking place.
The weekend will kick off Nov. 16 with the Balzac Christmas Market. More than 50 entrepreneurs – most of whom come from Airdrie or nearby communities – will be selling their wares from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to co-organizer Jodanna Frebrowski-Chitwood.
“We strive to have vendors that are local, and make handmade items,” she said. “We very much try to get those unique, home-based businesses, or people who source their products themselves.”
An array of products will be on display, including crocheted and knitted items, woodworking, fashion and accessories, as well as Christmas decor, handmade ornaments and photography.
Frebrowski-Chitwood added the vast majority of vendors at the Balzac Christmas Market do not have their own storefront.
“Our focus is on products you won’t normally see,” she said. “We also limit the number of vendors for similar items. You’re not going to see all jewelry, or all knitting and crochet. You’re going to find two or three of those, amongst all the others.”
Frebrowski-Chitwood organizes the market alongside Kristy Rohl, a task the pair took over from Rohl’s mother three years ago.
“We’ve made a lot of changes in the last few years to attract more people and make it more successful,” she said.
One example of those changes for this year, according to Frebrowski-Chitwood, is improved parking. Parking was the market’s main issue last year, but she said she and Rohl have hired a parking-control company to ensure a smoother operation.
When shoppers start feeling a bit peckish, they’ll be able to feast on an assortment of options from Airdrie-based Suzanna’s.
“She’ll be there serving hot and cold sandwiches, as well as tea and coffee,” Frebrowski-Chitwood said. “We have some food vendors present, but they’re mainly selling baked goods.”
Though Christmas will still be more than a month away by the time the Balzac market kicks off, Frebrowski-Chitwood said the event will provide shoppers the chance to get a head-start on holiday shopping – while supporting local entrepreneurs at the same time.
“People are starting to get in that mood of, ‘I need to start addressing Christmas presents,’” she said. “When they see these amazing gift ideas from these local entrepreneurs, they can start checking names off their list.”
The day after the market, the community centre will host the Goldenfields Girl Guides (GGG) district from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for its annual Holiday Bazaar.
According to GGG’s public relations advisor, Jessica Neufeld, the Christmas event is one of the district’s three main fundraisers of the year. The bazaar will feature handmade crafts and baked goods, made by the girls and their parents.
The majority of items on sale will cost less than $10, with many for less than $5, according to Neufeld. She added 100 per cent of the sales will go back to the units they were purchased from.
“That’s great, because it helps us subsidize camps and trips, it helps us pay for our unit expenses and buy more supplies,” she said.
The district’s oldest members will also be there, Neufeld said, selling cotton candy and popcorn. Meanwhile, girl guides from Airdrie who aren’t attached to any specific unit will be selling used books.
“All the money from that comes back to our district – so, if a family can’t afford the fees to join Girl Guides or they can’t afford fees to go to a camp, that’s where that money goes towards,” she said.
Further, GGG is fundraising for a trip to Sooke, B.C., this July to take part in the Spirit of Adventure Rendezvous (SOAR) – a week-long outdoor camp for Girl Guides of Canada districts.
