◆ Proceeds go towards helping a variety of individuals in need throughout the year.

Star Valley’s Annual Holiday Craft Bazaar is scheduled for Saturday, November 19 in the South Exhibit Building of the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Afton. Doors open at 9 a.m. and entry is $1 per person. Guests can enjoy holiday music, treats and lunch as they shop.

“We had to turn vendors away this year. We’ve never had to do that before,” said Tanya DeJournett, Bazaar organizer. DeJournett, who teams up with her sister, Nikki Cassity, has 70 vendors ready to share their holiday products, crafts and treats with the public.

The Bazaar serves as a community fundraiser, reserving funds from the event to lend a helping hand to folks who need a little help year-round. Groups wanting to use the bazaar as a fundraiser for their organization help with the event as well. The SVHS Boys Soccer Team will be manning the doors this year, and there is a family that will be helping with the lunch as their fundraiser.

“Everybody gets help at Christmas, so we try to help all year long,” shared DeJournett. “We have donated to the food bank in the past. We have done angel tree recipients in the past. We have done lots of different things. We helped a young family that lost their key fob for their car, which they needed. Whoever we see that needs help in the community, we try to spread the love and get funds back out there. Everything after expenses goes back into the community.”

DeJournett and Cassity have been organizing and staging the Holiday Bazaar for over ten years, with great success. Local vendors enjoy support from guests who come to fill their holiday shopping baskets, and community members in need of a boost receive a little extra throughout the year.

“It’s just gotten bigger and better every year,” said DeJournett about the event. “There will be music there to get you in the holiday shopping mood. Great vendors, returning vendors, new vendors. I do another craft fair in the spring and I try to focus on youth groups that need money with that one.”

Registered vendors will be offering a variety of items including homemade fresh and preserved foods, homemade décor, wood and fiber crafts, direct sales products, Christmas décor, ornaments, homemade soaps, decorative dolls and lots of other beautiful items of interest.

DeJournett knows it’s a lot of work, but it’s a win-win and all for a good cause. “It’s an event to get a jump on your Christmas shop- ping, supporting local vendors, direct sales vendors, and a lot of people who have homemade crafts who would really enjoy the support.”