Mountain Country Bazaar at Eatonville Baptist Church

The Mountain Country Bazaar will take place at the Eatonville Baptist Church on Friday, November 2, 2018 from 6 pm to 9 pm and on Saturday, November 3, 2018 from 9 am to 4 pm. Admission is free. 

There will be over 60 vendors that will have their art work, crafts, wood projects, soap, homemade candies, baked goods, honey, and various other treats.

According to Sharon Rosenkranz, Mountain Country Bazaar Chairperson, “pretty much every craft is represented,” at the bazaar. She also mentioned there’d be a café’ that their group, the Dr. A.W. Bridge Guild sets up at the bazaar for attendees to purchase soup, hot dogs, and drinks. 

The purpose of the event is to raise money for the Mary Bridge Children’s hospital the funds go for pediatric surgical suites and emergency services and some has gone to uncompensated care for children at the hospital and their families.

Sharon’s group, the Dr. A.W. Bridge Guild has been raising funds for the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital for 68 years. It was interesting to find that the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital was named from Dr. Bridge who was a doctor in Eatonville, Washington and he had donated half a million dollars for any group who would start a children’s hospital named for his mother who helped him through Medical School. He had set up practice in Eatonville where Cruiser Café is now located in 1909 as he wanted to reach out to logging camps and lumber mills as his specialty was for industrial injuries. Sharon also shared that he was also the Mayor in Eatonville in 1919. The Mary Bridge Hospital opened its doors in 1955 along with other money that was raised in the community to open the children’s hospital. Dr. Bridge had passed away in 1949.

Sharon shared what she thought of the Mountain Country Bazaar, “I think the event is a win-win event for artisans to sell their things we contribute thousands of dollars back into the community to artisans when we sell their things and 20% for Mary Bridge Hospital. Last year, over $20,000 the bazaar generated in sales and $7,000 for the children’s hospital and $13,000 for local vendors. It’s great for the community as well as support for the children’s hospital. We also have a quilt raffle that generates over a $1,000 over 2,000 tickets to sell is our goal this year.”

Sharon revealed the best thing about the Mountain Country Bazaar, “Being able to shop for so many local artists in one building, yet not have a booth kind of atmosphere because everything is set up boutique style and there is one central checkout point where you make your purchases. That’s what’s so cool about our bazaar.”

Interested artisans and vendors can contact Sharon at: 253-651-1748. It’s $10 to be a vendor and the guild keeps 20% of sales and goes to children’s hospital then a check goes to the vendor for 80% of their sales.
Sharon also shared that artisans and vendors do not need to have enough items to sell for a whole booth that some may just have the size of a card table of items and that’s fine as well.

When asked who she recommended attend the Mountain Country Bazaar, Sharon replied, “Anyone that appreciates a hand crafted item and wants to do their holiday shopping. We will have things for Thanksgiving, fall, and Christmas items as well as gifts and anyone shopping for those and that appreciates hand crafted items over commercially produced items. It’s a fun social event where we hand out complimentary cookies and coffee. Men will gather in our café’ and have a cup of coffee and get their dinner while their ladies will do their shopping. The men have found some cool things, too and like to see what their ladies are interested in as well.”

For more information about the event, please call Sharon at: 253-651-1748 or visit: Facebook.com/Eatonville Supports Mary Bridge Hospital.