2nd Holiday Extravaganza Scheduled

 

December 8, 2021

The Blaine County Fair Foundation invites surrounding communities to its Holiday Extravaganza on December 18 from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. in the Commercial Building on the Blaine County Fairgrounds. The primary purpose of this event is to generate funds that will defray the costs of bringing events to the Blaine County Fair.

With the Holiday Extravaganza, Fair Manager Debbie Ramberg is hoping to offer a venue where local artisans, hobbyists, small businesses, and other individuals can display their crafts and sell their wares. "The Blaine County Fair Foundation wanted to take this opportunity to showcase local talent as well as to provide a centralized location for residents of Blaine County and surrounding communities to shop Montana-made products or to support local small businesses and community members," Ramberg stated. "This would be our third time for such an event, but unfortunately, we had to cancel in 2020 due to pandemic concerns and health-related guidelines."

In 2019, over twenty-five vendors reserved tables for this bazaar style shopping event, and Ramberg expressed pleasure in that number and the variety of merchandise that was available. "That Holiday Shopping Extravaganza event gave local residents the confidence that they were getting something unique."

Lunch will also be available for purchase by shoppers at the Holiday Extravaganza. Ramberg will be preparing two different varieties of soup and serving it with homemade dinner rolls, cookies, and wassail.

Similar to the Spanish term salud, wassail derives from the Old Norse ves heill, which translates to "be healthy." Both words are used as a salutation, often a drinking salutation like "cheers."

The term "wassail" can trace its origins to pre-Christian Britain. In Anglo-Saxon traditions, to celebrate a new year in the halls of the Lord of the Manor, a feast included a giant bowl of a sort of punch: a mix of cider, ale, and mead infused with spices and crab apples. Today, wassail can refer to any warm, spiced-or spiked-cider. It is often called apple cider's "tastier sister."

Some readers may also recall the traditional English Christmas carol and New Year's song composed in the mid-1800s: "Here We Come A-wassailing."

It commemorates the custom-recorded from 1742-of going caroling from house to house at Christmas time to wish people good health and merriment. Wassailing, though, has its roots in a pagan custom of visiting orchards to sing to the tree spirits. The wassailing, or blessing of the fruit trees, involved drinking and singing to the health of the trees in the hope that they would provide a bountiful harvest in the following autumn.

Another feature at Blaine County's Holiday Extravaganza will be live musical entertainment. According to Ramberg, Roger Fischer and his band of musicians will play throughout the day.

Anyone interested in reserving a vendor table is encouraged to contact Ramberg by calling 406-945-3841. There is no deadline for table reservations, so vendors willing to take the chance for available space can even show up on the day of the event if they choose.

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024