Each November, Santa’s elves can be found busily toiling away behind the scenes at all hours of the night and day to get everything ready for the wondrous Christmas Bazaar that will be held in the heart of Gilroy this Saturday.
The Methodist Church on the corner of Fourth and Church streets has the historical distinction of holding the longest continuously running bazaar in our fair city. Director Barbara Gailey tells me that this is the 74th year that the hands of local women have quilted, sewn, embroidered, decorated, cooked, baked, canned, pickled, played, potted, mixed, fudged, bottled, preserved, painted, macramed, knitted, glued, crocheted, chutneyed, and jammed.
To mention that last year’s cake walk was enough of a hit to bring it back again this year is an understatement. “To win, you must have one wheel on the number,” Barbara Gailey read the rule for electric wheelchair patrons. Twenty numbers were laid down on the floor for the course and participants donated $5 to compete.
“I don’t need this!” one gentleman exclaimed as he threw his cane across the room and joined those ready to run. The crowd cheered as four participants went at a time, stopping when the music stopped and hoping to win a cake. “I never saw cakes go so fast in my life!” Gailey described. There were calls to the church afterwards from folks inquiring when the next bazaar would be held.
Mary Magnuson and Mary Ernest left Gilroy years ago, but these two Marys still help make Christmas merry in Gilroy each year. Mary Magnuson sends handcrafted items from Florida, and Mary Ernest sends a box of handmade baby blankets, lap robes, tablecloths, aprons, eyeglass cases, etc., from Poplar, Missouri, each year. Longtime Gilroy residents Marge and Everett Wentworth (who celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary this year, by the way) moved to Manteca last year, but their son has already delivered Marge’s handcrafted donations for this year’s event. It’s a big secret –so don’t you dare say a word to Marge or Everett, but if it works out, her kids plan to bring her to Gilroy for a surprise visit to the Bazaar.
This is Marilyn Schlesinger’s fourth year to donate one of her elaborate handmade quilts. She has crafted a full size quilt in many different colors done in the Bear Claw Block design. It will be the featured on the “Golden Opportunity Table,” along with many other prizes.
Barbara Gailey, organizer extraordinaire, does a fantastic job of organizing and directing all aspects of the annual event. Some of you remember a beloved Gilroy teacher named Leona Kolbly – her longtime handyman, Mr. Joe Charles, is a one man clean-up crew, scrubbing the church social hall both before and after the bazaar.
All proceeds go to benefit women’s and children’s causes supported by the United Methodist Women. Gilroy’s bazaar holds the record not only for being the longest continuously running one in our community, but it also holds the record for being the only one still being held annually for this many years in any Methodist Church in all of northern California and the state of Nevada.
‘Twas the night before the Bazaar and all through the church, not a creature was stirring – except for one heck of a busy bazaar lady named Gailey.
The Bazaar will be held Saturday, Nov. 17 at the United Methodist Church located at Fourth and Church streets from 8:30 a.m. until the goodies run out. The Cake Walk will be held at 10:30 a.m., and the soup and pie luncheon starts at 11:30 a.m..
