PERU — Members of the community gathered at Babbie Rural and Farm Learning Museum for the 2nd Annual Holiday Bazaar this weekend.
This is the second year the Farm Museum has hosted a Holiday Bazaar.
According to Director Lee Ledesma, the goal is to promote and expose the community to small businesses and spread the holiday spirit.
“We are really excited to partner with and bring together these artisans in the community,” Ledesma said.
Several small and local businesses set up in the museum to spread their holiday cheer through handmade goods such as jewelry, baskets, candles, wood work, ceramics, knitted accessories, candy, pastries, treats and holiday decorations.
This was a first for some vendors.
“I have been doing this for three years, but this is my first time at the Bazaar here,” said Lisa Durocher, creator of Classy Creations.
Classy Creations offered bazaar-goers holiday related decor and ornaments, as well as a Hallmark Holiday Movie-Night kits including snacks, treats and a bingo sheet for the movie.
“This is a great venue, it’s small and there is a lot of traffic,” Durocher said.
“The people here are all so friendly, you can really feel the holiday spirit coming out.”
This, That and More, run by Amanda Hapeman and Sue Bailey, returned to the bazaar for a second time.
This local business offered baskets, dyed and hand-weaved by Hapeman herself, as well as holiday decor made by Bailey with upcycled material.
“We are honored to be here again,” Bailey said.
“You can feel the Christmas cheer.”
According to Hapeman, her favorite aspect of the bazaar is seeing people she hasn’t seen in a while and making new friends.
“People need to come check this out,” Hapeman said.
“If they can’t this year, then next year.”
According to Mary Heald, creator of Sylvanbrook Spinnery, the bazaar is a lot of fun with high energy.
“Babbie is a great place,” Heald said.
“It is a lot of fun here, the energy is high and everyone is so positive.”
Heald offers historical flax cultivation and spinning demonstrations at the museum; her business offers unique hand-made shawls, scarves and other knit-goods.
According to Ledesma, this bazaar offers the museum a way to connect with the community.
“The more we do things, like classes, workshops and other events, the more it feels like there is an exposure or connection to the community,” she said.
Last year, the bazaar had approximately 180 visitors during the weekend; this year they nearly surpassed that number during the first day.
The Farm Museum is currently reviewing the idea of hosting another craft fair in the Spring, sometime in April, according to Ledesma.
During the summer season, the museum has 17 buildings on the property featuring several interactive exhibits and demonstrations.
According to Ledesma, the museum is in need of volunteers to help keep things running smoothly during events.
“We are always looking for more volunteers,” Ledesma said.
“We would be so grateful.”
According to the Babbie Farm Museum website, their mission is to provide an entertaining environment in which visitors can learn about rural and farm life in the Champlain Valley and Adirondacks prior to the 1950s.
“Everytime you come here, it’s a new experience,” said Carol Rock, a member of the Babbie family.
Several classes and workshops are offered at the museum throughout the year; not all events are strictly related to pre-1950s rural and farm life.
One desired outcome of the bazaar is exposing more of the community to the museum itself.
“Some of the people that show up for this actually end up coming to the museum on their own, if they’ve never been,” Ledesma said.
For more information visit https://www.babbiemuseum.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/babbiemuseum/.