YMCA moves Christmas Bazaar to Dec. 19

The YMCA of Washington County has moved back its annual Christmas Bazaar by two weeks.

The event, originally scheduled for Dec. 5, has been moved to Dec. 19.

'Due to the pandemic and the governor's proclamation about the number of people gathering, it would have put us in a pickle,” Angie Goodwin, the YMCA's marketing and fundraising director, said.

Organizers have implemented some changes to take extra safety precautions, including extending the time of the bazaar from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Washington YMCA, 520 W. Fifth St.

'We extended the time, so we can implement some safety measures,” Goodwin said. 'We will also limit the amount of people at certain times in the building for this event.”

To better control the number of people in the building, the YMCA is asking that children be pre-registered for the event and sign up for a 30-minute time slot.

There will be a one-parent-per-family limit, and masks must be worn by all participants and volunteers.

'We still want to be able to have this event for the kids,” Goodwin said. 'We're trying to do it in a controlled environment.”

The Christmas Bazaar has been an annual event at the YMCA for more than 50 years.

Children up to 12-years-old can come to the bazaar and purchase Christmas gifts for family members.

Each child is assigned an 'elf” – a YMCA volunteer – to act as a personal shopping assistant.

Children have a variety of gifts from which to choose, ranging from 50 cents to $5.

The only requirement is that the child's shopping list has no more than 10 items to ensure each child who attends has an opportunity to purchase something.

After the items are purchased, children are taken to a wrapping center where the items are wrapped and tagged.

The bazaar is open to children from any town, and a membership to the YMCA is not required.

To pre-register, call the YMCA at 319-653-2141.