Sherri Housely made a variety of jams, salsas and baked goods to tempt browsers at the bazaar.
Bethany Johnson was one of the vendors at the Seeley Lake Senior Center Bazaar. She told customers her suncatchers would make great stocking stuffers.
Fallon Minjares inspects the loot she caught from fishing in the Kids' Corner. Instead of a fish she caught a Christmas stocking filled with goodies.
Remington Kittrell is fascinated by Santa's beard.
Kara and Alaina Harrison find a number of interesting goodies in the bags that they received from the Kids' Corner.
Trinity Gibson offers her signature Beadniks jewelry and also hand puppets and Christmas items.
John Gibbs answers questions about his wood wares.
SEELEY LAKE – The Senior Center Christmas Bazaar is primarily a fundraiser for the Seeley Lake Senior Center. According to Deb Mus and Elaine Gbur, two friends who met to attend the event together, it is also a way for people to reconnect with friends they haven't seen in a while, get new Christmas ideas, browse all the crafts, buy more than intended and contribute to the community.
Mus and Gbur are not the only ones who see the event as a combination of browsing, buying and connecting. For third-grader Bethany Johnson, the bazaar is a three-generation enterprise. Johnson sold colorful plastic suncatcher ornaments that she made with her mother's help. The table displaying her suncatchers also contained jewelry made by her mother and grandmother. Johnson pointed to one of the necklaces and said, "Next year I'm going to make these."
Johnson's grandmother Patty Ferreira, a former Seeley Lake resident, said, "I drive from Missoula so I can do this with Bethany."
Trinity Gibson also drives from Missoula to sell her beadwork, hand puppets and Christmas items at the bazaar. She has been doing so for 16 years because she too sees it as a way to connect with her daughter.
As a young mother, Gibson gave her daughter to a Placid Lake couple in an open adoption. Through the years, daughter Paxton Castle has assisted at Gibson's booth, giving the two of them time to chat between customers.
The Senior Center Bazaar offered a diverse mix of crafts and products, some Christmas themed and others possible Christmas gifts. Many of the vendors return year after year. For the past five years, vendors John and Ruth Gibbs have come from Kalispell with their polished wooden bowls, lamps, rolling pins and other wood wares. They said they come because they love the people here and because it is a beautiful drive this time of year.
Seeley Lake resident Sherri Housley brings a variety of jams, salsa and baked goods each year. Housely said she has canned fruits and vegetables since she was little, learning the skill from her mother.
The bazaar also draws new vendors each year. Brian Larabee brought his stained glass window pane wall art. He said his subjects are always different because he creates his own patterns based on things he sees. He said chickadee scenes are his best sellers.
Situated behind the booths and displays in the Seeley Lake Elementary gymnasium, the Kids' Corner of the bazaar offered activities and prizes. Children got their cheeks painted with snowmen or snowflakes, threw Styrofoam snowballs, fished for goodies, drove a toy car and colored Christmas scenes. Santa was there to hear what each child hoped to get on Christmas Day. He gave every child a small stuffed animal as an early present.
As part of their fundraising efforts, seniors from the Senior Citizens Center sold food and beverages and raffled off a number of donated items. Amount the winners of the raffle items were Doug Richards won the Flexi Flyer Sled, Dee Dennison won the cranberry thumb print punch bowl and glasses and Shauna Boe won the hummingbirds carved by John West.
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