In a garage warmed by activity and a small heater, three members of Whidbey Island’s Emblem Club tie ribbons on wreaths, glue sand-dollars to pine branches and put the last touches on crafts they are preparing for their holiday bazaar.
The Emblem’s annual holiday bazaar, which is Friday, Oct. 22, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Oak Harbor Elks Lodge, is open for the entire community and all island guests to attend.
Shirley Broadbent, chairman of the club and also overseeing the bazaar, said she has enjoyed all the work, administration and creativity that goes into putting a bazaar together.
“I enjoy working with the girls in the workshops. We really have a good time,” she said.
The Emblem Club, which was established on the ethical, moral and patriotic values symbolized in the American flag in 1926, was instituted in Oak Harbor in 1969.
Currently the Oak Harbor Emblem Club # 450 has approximately 100 members. Club members spends a great deal of club time fundraising for needs and organizations in the community. As an Island-wide club, they have pie auctions, bake sales, a 4th of July sale, fashion shows, seasonal bazaars and so forth to raise money for local groups such as CADA, Toddler Learning Center, Meals on Wheels, high school scholarships for Oak Harbor, Coupeville and Langley, food baskets for North Whidbey Help House and much more.
The holiday bazaar is one of the club’s largest fundraisers, and is carried out and prepared for as such. For weeks, club members have met together to put holiday baskets, organize details and get crafty with glue and seasonal decor. The week before the bazaar, they will busy themselves cooking, baking and simmering soups, pies and chili.
“Come and see what lovely things we have and support us. Then we in turn will support you,” said Marie Akins, club president.
Bazaar items and events include: Crafts and gifts for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, baked goods, a Granny’s Attic sale of new and used items and collectables, local arts, crafts and food vendors, refreshments, a raffle and lots of good company.
