Harvest Bazaar set for October
By:
Philip A. Janquart
It’s been a popular event that started with a few vendors, but has blossomed over time.
For years, Second Chance hosted what it dubbed its annual Fall Bazaar without a hiccup.
A burgeoning number of vendors, heavy crowds and parking constraints, however, forced the home décor store to make a difficult decision.
Following the 2023 event, co-owners Darren Baltrusch and Todd Davies determined that it would not be in their best interest to continue.
Enter Patrick Nauman.
It was a casual conversation between Davies and Nauman, owner of Weiser Classic Candy, which led to the baton being passed.
“Todd came in to pick up an order, I don’t know how many months ago now, and told me they weren’t going to do it anymore,” Nauman said in July. “I told him that it was really too bad because they were well received out there. Then, I don’t think he was a mile out of town when I went, ‘Well heck, I’ll just do it and bring it into town.’”
And just like that, the retooled Harvest Bazaar was on, with Nauman at the helm.
The Bazaar
It’s scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Oct. 4-5, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and will be located right in the middle of downtown Weiser. Nauman’s goal is to expand vendor booths, have a Kids’ Zone and a Chili Cookoff.
Twelve contestants have already signed up for the chili cookoff on Saturday, with Idaho Custom Designs sponsoring a $100 first-place prize and traveling trophy.
The Kids’ Zone is scheduled for both Friday and Saturday and will feature bounce houses, cotton candy, sno-cones and face painting.
“I think we have about 60 vendors or so right about now,” Nauman told the Signal American Sept. 6. “So, we gained a few, had a few drop out for one reason or another, but I’m still getting requests for applications and people wanting to sign up, so who knows?”
State Street, from Court to Commercial streets, will be closed off, but Main and Idaho Streets will remain open to traffic. The three-block venue allows room for dozens of vendors situated back-to-back, keeping sidewalks clear and giving store owners a chance to take advantage of the crowds with sales and specials.
“I think I’m going to be super-duper happy if I have 70 plus vendors this year,” Nauman said.
In addition, that weekend there will be a golf tournament sponsored by the Weiser Boys and Girls Club, a Pumpkin Festival and the 20th annual Weiser Mud Drags to be held Saturday, Oct. 5.
Humble beginnings:
The bazaar was launched in 2008 when the late Jane Betts, a retired home economics teacher at Weiser High School, decided there needed to be an outdoor venue where small businesses could highlight their wares and for people to shop for unique gifts for loved ones and friends ahead of the holiday season.
And from that, the annual Fall Bazaar was born.
“It all started with Jane,” Baltrusch said. “She asked if she could do it on-site here at Second Chance and we said, ‘Well, have at it.’ So, she got some friends together and I suppose the first year there might have been seven booths out front. It grew from there.”
Sadly, about four years after launching the bazaar, Betts passed away following a battle with cancer, but Baltrusch and Davies kept the event going.
“It kept growing until we were pretty much at capacity,” Baltrusch said. “We’ve had about 64 booths for the last several years.”
He said that ultimately, he and Davies could no longer accommodate the large crowds and were forced to take a close look at what they were doing, especially considering they had received a visit from Idaho State Police troopers.
The troopers indicated that the ISP, responsible for overseeing safe passage along Idaho’s interstates and highways, had received complaints about vehicles parked on Highway 95 and people walking along a route where the speed limit is 65 miles per hour, though some drive much faster.
“It was becoming quite a parking issue for us,” Baltrusch said. “We had to rent it from both our neighbors. If we couldn’t rent it, we really couldn’t have the event, so there was never really a guarantee every year that we could even have it.”
He said they had put out “No Parking” signs on the highway, but that some people simply ignored them.
“The state police were very kind, but said there were complaints and if there was ever an accident, we could be held liable and so it became an issue for us,” Baltrusch continued. “We were really vulnerable to whatever anybody wanted to do as far as suing us.
“So, we hemmed and hawed about it, but it just kept getting worse and we decided that it was best if we just didn’t do it.
“But we are very happy and excited about it still happening and we know that Patrick will do good.”
Category:
Signal American
18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
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