Blaine County Santa's Village and Christmas Bazaar
December 6, 2003

The Blaine County Santa's Village and Christmas Bazaar takes place on the first Saturday of December. Many Christmas displays for the children to enjoy fill two rooms. Santa Claus is there to take his picture with the kids. A make-it-take-it craft is available along with free balloons and toys for the children.

In the back of the women's building, there are sixty craft booths with beautiful things for the Christmas shopper to take home. Door prizes add excitement to the day and the 4-H sell concessions for the hard- at-work shopper.

Santa's Village is a wonderland for boys and girls. There are many impressive displays such as the toy train traveling through a snow-covered village, a Santa Claus doll snow-skiing through the evergreen trees, a life-size Mrs. Claus all dressed in her Christmas clothes and many decorated Christmas trees. Besides Santa Claus being there to talk to the children and take pictures with them, there are motorized children on a skating pond and a manger scene showing baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph and the animals and angels. The Pleasant Valley HCE group started this project back in 1978 and they work very hard on it adding new displays every year. They even have a "Make-It-Take-It" table where the children can make a craft and take it home. They give away many door prizes to the kids. This is all free. In another part of the building is the Christmas Bazaar where many craft booths are set up with Christmas decorations and many many Christmas gift ideas for all to see and to buy. Last year we had 50 booths at our Holiday Festival where we gave away door prizes every hour half, which are provided by the vendors present. The Blaine County Association for Home and Community Education has sponsored this Holiday Festival for 27 years now. The HCE organization produces the Santa's Village and the Bazaar for the enjoyment of this area. The crafters pay just $25 to get a booth space and the attendees receive many sights and sounds of Christmas.