Homemakers Bazaar to honor founder Margaret Gayler.

The annual fair bringing Christmas crafts to the Civic Center is named to honor Margaret Gayler.

Romans will have an opportunity to do a little Christmas shopping well in advance of Black Friday as the Floyd County Homemakers Council holds their Margaret Gayler Christmas in November Bazaar on Friday and Saturday at the Rome Civic Center on Jackson Hill.

For the past six decades the event was known simply as the Christmas in November Bazaar, however this year the council changed the name to honor Gayler who conceived of the event after seeing something similar during a trip to New Orleans some 61 years ago.

Council President Deanne Hoffman said people will be able to purchase a lot of Christmas wreaths, Christmas ornaments and other holiday decorations, baked goods, and much more. “My husband and I have a booth, and we are doing mostly woodworking from Santa’s snowman from repurposed pallet wood,” Hoffman said. “He makes collegiate birdhouses, painted in the colors and logos from the different school.”

“This year there will be several non-member booths participating,” Hoffman said. The number of homemaker clubs has dwindled over the years, prompting the council to open the event up to outside groups.

Marie Carney, who with Hoffman and Gail Knight help organize the event, said she will have a booth with Christmas items as well as baby items from bibs to bags and blankets. She’ll also have Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy dolls and more. More than two dozen vendors are expected to participate, many of them members of one of the five Homemakers clubs that still remain in Rome and Floyd County. Those clubs include the Friendly River Club, the Blossom Hill club, Four in One, Sixth Day Creation and Westside.

The bazaar will be held Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the civic center on Jackson Hill

Proceeds go to fund the various community service projects of the Floyd County Homemakers Council and the individual clubs. Carney said 10 percent of the sales from the booths go back to the council. Many of the various homemakers clubs also get a percentage from their own members with the remainder going to the vendor themselves.

Hoffman said that each club has its own community service projects, ranging from helping clients of the Hospitality House to scholarships for local high school students.