Popular Christmas bazaar returns to Holy Trinity in Chippawa

The annual Christmas bazaar at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Chippawa is so popular that in years past, it was common to see folks actually lined out the door waiting to get in to the church hall.

Jan Wright and Doreen Mackey had a part in that.

Mackey’s sausage rolls are a perennial hit among the throngs of people who’d show up, and Wright’s jams and jellies are also high in demand.

“Doreen’s sausage rolls don’t last long,” said the church’s new minister, Rev. Rob Duncan. “They fly off the shelves.”

The church was set to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2020, but then the pandemic hit and in-person gatherings were banned. Holy Trinity’s Christmas bazaar was held on a scaled-back basis last year due to pandemic-related capacity limits after being cancelled in 2020, so this year’s event taking place on Saturday, Nov. 5, is the first one that will return to its traditional format since 2019, said Duncan.

The bazaar has been going on for more than 20 years, said congregation member Carolyn McRae.

When he attended the last bazaar in 2019, Duncan was floored by all the people who drive in from as far away as St. Catharines. “The place was packed, start to finish,” he said. “It’s been a really longtime connection with Chippawa and all of Niagara Falls.”

Duncan said a woman who went to his former church makes a point of going to the Holy Trinity bazaar every year. “She told me she goes to all the church bazaars, and she said to me ‘this is the best bazaar in all of Niagara Falls,’ ” he said.

Congregation member and church warden Pam Fickes said the bake table is a big draw. “Everything is homemade,” she said. “We call it our infamous bake table.”

McRae said in past years the bazaar has raised upwards of $10,000, which helps the church’s community outreach efforts, which include a gently used clothing shop, the Shared Blessings community garden where people can come for fresh vegetables and a small food bank for struggling families.

The church just restarted Tuesday morning get-togethers for older adults who Fickes said have tea, coffee, cookies and lunch. “They know somewhere they know, where they can have fun and play cards,” she said. “It really is good outreach to them. They just look forward to it so much.”

Duncan said outreach is important for weaving the church into the fabric of Chippawa. “It’s important in terms of our identity, of our understanding of who we are, the laughter, and fun and hard work of doing these things together, but also the connection with the community,” he said. “We’re part of the village here and we’re part of the life here.”

The bazaar runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will include a deli, preserves, bake table, gift baskets, craft table, treasure tables, jewelry table, new and used books and peameal bacon on a bun. The gently used clothing shop will also be open.

Holy Trinity is located at 7820 Portage. Rd.

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