Family-friendly bazaar arrives just in time for the holidays

The holidays are just around the corner and so is U.S. Army Garrison Kaiserslautern’s Holiday Bazaar, which starts today and goes until Sunday at the Special Events Center on Rhine Ordnance Barracks.

About 100 international vendors will be at this year’s Holiday Bazaar, said Gudrun Schuler-Heilman, the garrison’s Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation financial management chief, who has been organizing bazaars for more than 15 years.

“They will be selling a variety of European goods, typically those items that Europe-stationed servicemembers like to take back home, such as jewelry, porcelain, rugs, antiques, heavy Belgium furniture, oil and military paintings, cutlery, pots and pans, purses, gloves, Christmas decorations (and) pewter,” said Ms.

Schuler-Heilman.

One of the goals of the garrison’s bazaar is to be as family friendly as possible.

“We want people to enjoy their shopping experience so we make every effort to make our bazaars customer and family friendly,” Ms. Schuler-Heilman said.

She said there will be wide walkways for strollers, a large tent with tables and benches outside the bazaar for eating or just resting and an easily accessible parking lot. Also outside for families are a carousel, a bouncy castle and petting zoo, which are all free. Another family-friendly idea that was started at last year’s Holiday Bazaar was to have mobile ATMs available as a convenience to shoppers, Ms. Schuler-Heilman said.

“People like to pay for smaller purchases with cash and now they can (with the mobile ATM) right there at the bazaar,” she said.

Garrison bazaars – five throughout the year – are sponsored by FMWR, which means proceeds generated go back into the directorate’s budget, and are used to improve facilities equipment and programs.

Volunteers are always needed to check ID cards on all three days of the bazaar, to cash out vendors on Sunday night and to help tear down the event.

The bazaar will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The event is open to all U.S. and NATO ID cardholders, and shoppers must present proper identification at the entrance.

The next garrison bazaar will be the Spring Bazaar, which takes place from March 5 to 7 at the Special Events Center on ROB.