Fall is upon us, and the season has already brought on the earliest of the multiple bazaars, craft shows, and festivals leading up to the Christmas season! One of these in our community will be Mebane Presbyterian Church’s 11 th Annual Fall Bazaar which is sponsored by the Men’s and Women’s Ministry Teams of the church. The event will be held on Saturday, 18 October, from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall in the old church building on the corner of Fifth and Lee Streets. There will be limited parking along Lee Street and in the front handicap spaces bordering Fifth Street, reserved mostly for shoppers with limited mobility, but the back parking lot, accessed from either Fifth or Fourth streets, will provide ample parking for other shoppers. Signs and greeters will be on site to welcome and direct

shoppers.

All proceeds from the bazaar sales will benefit Alamance County Meals on Wheels and Western North Carolina. Meals on Wheels provides daily hot and frozen home-delivered meals to folks across Alamance County. As we all know, the western part of our state was hit hard last year by the unexpected devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, leaving over 100 people missing or dead and an estimate in excess of 50 billion dollars in loss and damage. Even a year later, residents are still struggling to repair or replace homes and businesses. The bazaar will include hand-crafted items made by the men and women of MPC, as well as by friends of the church. Items for sale include wooden items, birdhouses, and toys made by the Men’s Ministry; crocheted baby blankets, dishcloths, and afghans; wreaths; a large variety of Christmas ornaments; fairy light bottles; quilted table runners; jewelry; various needlecrafts; and many other items perfect for gift-giving and stocking stuffers!

The bazaar will also feature a “bake sale” area with homemade treats from the kitchens of the church. There will also be a separate table with jams, jellies and preserves, pickles and relishes, and other items. A separate table will house various bush and plant rooted cuttings for sale.

There will be a raffle for a lovely handmade and hand-quilted queen-size “Barn Door” quilt. A separate raffle will be held for items and gift cards donated by local businesses. Raffle tickets will be $1 each, and you will not need to be present to win. There will also be several “silent auction” items up for bid. In addition to all this, several vendors will be present, selling their handmade products.

The men of the church will be selling sausage and ham biscuits and coffee for breakfast and BLT sandwiches and soft drinks for lunch. And finally, there will be a separate Chicken & Sausage Gumbo sale going on during a portion of the bazaar, with quarts (warm or frozen) selling for $10 each.