There will be plenty of gift ideas at Four Rivers Cultural Center this weekend during the Fill Your Sleigh Holiday Bazaar. (The Enterprise/FILE).
ONTARIO – You might say the antlers were calling to Durkee’s Pamela Haney.
About five years ago, as she recovered from an illness, Haney spent a lot of time with her husband, a Durkee-area trapper.
One day Haney’s husband found the antlers and put them in their pickup truck. For the rest of the winter the antlers stayed there.
“Every day I would reach over and pick it up,” said Haney.
Haney, 54, felt the germ of an idea and not long after she asked her husband to cut up the antlers.
From there, Haney began to make buttons out of the antlers. Then she decided to make antler and stone jewelry which led to the creation of her business, Sagebrush and Beyond.
Saturday, Haney will be one of 60 vendors offering a range of gifts at the annual Fill Your Sleigh Holiday Bazaar Saturday at Four Rivers Cultural Center.
The free event begins at 10 a.m. and runs until 5 p.m.
There will also be a Covid vaccine clinic from 2 to 5 p.m. at the event.
“It is just a fabulous event for families and the community,” said Allison Simon, cultural center programing and outreach coordinator.
The event will offer everything from kick-knacks, such as hand-painted pictures, vintage décor, lotions, quilts, ornaments to defense weapons for females and other specialized tools.
Simon said the bazaar represents a gateway into the local holiday season.
“You can get all of your holiday shopping done in one place and you are supporting local businesses,” said Simon.
For Haney, the bazaar is the best way to reach her customers.
“I work from my home and this is how I connect to people throughout the year is by going to these types of events,” said Haney.
Simon said there are a lot of “unique finds” at the bazaar.
“There is jewelry and crafts and all kinds of neat stuff,” said Simon. “There is something for everybody.”
Simon said there will also be “several food trucks” at the event.
“Festival of Trees is here at the same time so it is kind of a holiday bash,” said Simon. “It kind of kicks off everything for us.”
Simon said planning for the bazaar began during the summer.
“It is one of our biggest events and it is really popular,” said Simon.
Haney said this year she plans to exhibit two tables of her products at the bazaar.
“I have had an exceptional year. Most of the communities we go to have shown great love for the artists who could not get out last year,” said Haney.
The Fill Your Sleigh Holiday Bazaar was canceled last year because of the Covid pandemic.
News tip? Contact Pat Caldwell at [email protected]
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