ELKO – The ever popular Christmas Bazaar held at the Elko Convention Center is coming back after a year’s hiatus. The event has approximately 200 booths packed with goods for the holiday season.
Although most spaces are sold out, there are still 18 booths available for this year’s Christmas Bazaar, according to Terrace at Ruby View Senior Center volunteer Cindy Hyslop.
“The application is online,” said Senior Center Director Matt McCarty. “Booth space costs range a little bit, but, for the most part it’s $275 per booth.”
“In years past we have been very specific on handmade,” McCarty said. “Unfortunately, because of Covid, we know there are folks that are still not comfortable traveling. We have opened it up for smaller, home-based businesses.”
Other non-handcrafted vendors are welcome to apply.
The staff is very discerning about vendors in that they do not want product crossover so participating vendors do not have direct competition.
Sellers will include several locals, including watercolor artist Perri Duncan. There will be ceramic arts, hand-cut metal art and Native American jewelry plus many Christmas and baby items.
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The senior center has been hosting the event since 2016 at the Elko Convention Center.
“This is our largest fundraiser,” McCarty said.
Last year they were unable to hold the event because of the pandemic, which hurt the senior center financially.
“As most 5013c nonprofits understand, there are grants that we can get that help with programmatic issues, but most donors don’t want to see money going to general operations. This helps to supplement our general operations.”
“Because we missed it last year, we are hopeful that the community will be even more supportive because it is something we’ve missed. We have not been able to have a lot of these types of events. Hopefully, this will add to some of the other great events we have been able to experience in the past couple months.”
“We are hoping to have four food vendors,” Hyslop said.
“Masks are strongly encouraged by all attendees and vendors to adhere to the Governor’s mandate. We ask that they be respectful.”
“We are right at the tail end of the Festival of Trees,” McCarty said. “Families can come in and see the trees and do shopping. We do have Santa and his helpers on Saturday.”
Attendees can pay to have a child’s portrait done with Santa.
“There will be an area in the back,” Hyslop said.
The Festival of Trees will be held Dec. 1 to 4 in the Conference Center next door.
“Many of our members are not able to make it down [to the event],” McCarty said. “So what we do for them is our vendors donate something from their table and then we have a raffle up here.”
“We have another raffle that will be held at the event and we are asking for donations from the community, specifically businesses. We will have a list of all the businesses that have donated.”
Elko and Spring Creek holiday photo gallery:
Downtown displays – Blohm Jewelers
A reindeer, Christmas tree and Santa Clause are part of the Christmas display at Blohm’s Jewelers. Downtown displays reveal the holiday spirit with festive decorations and lights.
Downtown displays – Indigo
A variety of Christmas trees, including wooden and metallic, are featured at Indigo in one of their display windows.
Century 21 Gold West Realty
Floats from Century 21 Gold West Realty make their way down Idaho Street at the Parade of Lights Dec. 9.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus waives to crowds gathered in Downtown and on Idaho Street atop a City of Elko fire engine, concluding the Parade of Lights Dec. 9
The Cratchits celebrate Christmas
Sam Debenham as Bob Cratchit, Caylin Meyer as Tiny Tim, and Amber Adeline Brown, standing in for Allison Coppinger, as Mrs. Cratchit, mime a toast as John Patrick Rice as Ebenezer Scrooge looks on.
