Lincoln Christmas Bazaar carries on

The Annual Lincoln Christmas Bazaar saw a busy day Saturday, Dec. 4.

This year's Christmas Bazaar marked the first since Ann Pryor retired in 2019 after 30 years organizing the sale by crafters and artisans.

For Jill Sallin, who took over as organizer, the bazaar was a bittersweet affair.

She watched the ebb and flow of the crowd from behind a table laden with quilts, rugs, potholders and other useful creations handmade by her mother Jesse, who passed away last month. Jesse organized the Christmas Bazaar in the 80's before handing off the duties to Pryor, and Sallin Homespun has been a perennial fixture at the event.

"It is hard without Mom," said Sallin. I would do anything if she was here but knowing my Mom, she would want me to keep moving on and do this in her memory and to honor her."

Sallin plans to carry on organizing the bazaar for at least the next few years, since Jesse, a prolific seamstress and quilter, had created enough inventory to have a table there for quite some time.

"I may continue even after her inventory is gone, but we'll see how it goes," she said.

Sallin was slated to take over organizing duties last year, but the lingering COVID-19 pandemic led to the decision to cancel it in 2020,

Sallin said they saw a couple new vendors at the bazaar this year, including ceramist Luella Schultz and Deborah 'The Gnome Lady," who creeshandmade gnomes.

This year's bazaar also featured gift wrapping by volunteers with Sam's Hope and a bake sale by Lincoln's new Red Mountain 4-H Club.

The bazaar was just one of several events as part of the "Christmas stroll events in Lincoln Dec. 4, which also included wagon rides through Sculpture in the Wild, Santa's Workshop at the school, Take and Make gift projects at the Lincoln Library artist displays at Citizen's Alliance Bank and kid's art at the Powerhouse.