CHAMPLAIN — For 55 years now, those in the Town of Champlain have been spending the Sunday before Memorial Day at the St. Mary’s Bazaar, and it is still as fun and gratifying as ever.
“We need the bazaar, It’s just a great time for people to come out,” St. Mary’s Pastor The Rev. Clyde Lewis said Sunday.
“We’ve done this for 55 years now. It started when the school was open.” Lewis said.
The Bazaar marks the unofficial beginning of summer for those in the Northern Tier as the weather turns warmer and school is almost over.
Kathy Ryan, a Bazaar Committee member, said volunteers prepared for a big crowd all week.
“We have been out here eight hours every day since Wednesday,” Ryan said.
“I have to thank Bobby Lewis, he is so easy to work with. He is very generous and supportive in every way he can be.”
CHICKEN BBQ RETURNS
The annual event is one of the church’s main fund-raisers of the year. It features the staples of games, raffles, food, drinks, activities for kids, a parade and the much-anticipated tractor pull and the return of the popular chicken BBQ.
The chicken BBQ is operated by the Knights of Columbus and the Catholic Daughters of America.
“The chicken BBQ is back,” Ryan said, adding that many tickets for it were sold ahead of time.
The theme for this year’s parade was “Honoring First Responders,” with the categories of participating floats include themed, automobile, corporate, youth, band and fire department.
On a partly-sunny day, scores of Bazaar attendees enjoyed concessions available for purchase including burgers, hotdogs, fries, nachos, pretzels, fried dough, snow cones, cotton candy and more.
For the kids, a bounce house and inflatable obstacle course were available for a fee of a couple tickets, as well as a tractor-train ride around the church grounds.
Along with raising funds for St. Mary’s continued operations, the goal of the event is to bring the community together.
“It’s amazing seeing the community come together, the sponsors, volunteers, families, friends,” Ryan said.
The tractor pull, as always, was a big hit with multiple divisions for kids and adults with either stock or modified tractors.
“People bring their stock, or modified, tractors out and try to pull the boat,” Jerrod LaValley, Tractor Pull organizer, explained.
“It’s really about bragging rights, you know, who can pull the most weight the farthest, or what your tractor can handle.”
TRACTOR PULL
The Tractor Pull entered the Bazaar approximately eight years ago, according to LaValley. Prior to that, they would rent out boats, the machine that tractors pull, and use local venues.
The tractor pull has become one with the Bazaar, attracting competition from all over.
“There are probably about 60 tractor pullers here today,” LaValley said.
“Some are coming up from Albany to compete.”
LaValley said tractor pulling “can be a rush,” when you are in the tractor seat pulling the boat.
“It’s about 30 seconds of ‘when’s it gonna give,’ ‘Am I going straight, left,’ trying to get as far as you can.”
MEMORIAL DAY
Held on Memorial Day weekend when the nation honors those who died in service of our country, the National Anthem to begin the festivities took on special meaning.
“I like performing the national anthem, it has meaning,” singer Cathie Davenport said, noting that it is “quiet,” and “retrospective,” which is important for everyone.
Rev. Lewis said it is special that some of the Bazaar Committee members are St. Mary’s Academy alumni themselves, which makes the event important not only to them, but the community as a whole.
“Some committee members graduated from St. Mary’s Academy,” Lewis said.
The tradition of the Bazaar is not lost on those who visit the festival or the parade spectators, some of which are St. Mary’s Academy alumni themselves.
“I graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in 1962, I was there from grades 2 through 12,” Lucille Palmer said.
“And I used to work the BBQ here.”
Palmer’s favorite part about coming to the bazaar is seeing old friends.
“I love seeing old friends, especially since the pandemic,” she said.
“In the country store and around the BBQ.”