Bazaar, St Andrews.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2950, 23 November 1900, Page 4

Bazaar, St Andrews.

The Otaio : Blue Cliffs parish bazaar was opened yesterday afternoon in Mr Bruce's ' large grain shed near the railway station, or rather, in half of it, the other half being for the most part occupied by grain. -The room utilised is profusely and skilfully decorated with foliage and bunting, and the stalls are prettiily fronted with light dra- * peries, so that the room presents a very pretty appearance. About half-past two , the Vicar, Rev. L. Carsley Brady, requested Mr Thomas Teschemaker, as one of the oldest residents in the district, to declare the bazaar open, and Mr Teschemaker made a brief and suitable address to those present. The bazaar is an unusually large one for a rural centre, the building being quite inadequate to the proper display of the large quantity and variety of goods to be disposed of. The stalls are crowded and the free space must prove insufficient for the evening attendances. The ladies of the parish have been working for a long 'time preparing needlework, knitting, crochet, lace work, fancy work of all kinds, and the result is a collection of genuinely useful apparel and household furnishings, and of various kinds of ornaments of domestic manufacture, which does infinite credit to the ladies of the district. Some of the articles must have involved long and steady application, such, for instance, as a thick and handsome crochet counterpane for a double bed, a netted one for a single bed, and a well-finished hearthrug. Then the finer kinds of needlework in embroidery, etc., are plentiful. Among the ornaments referred to are a number of articles, vases and dishes, coated with broken china and odds and ends, skilfully embedded in plaster, with excellent effect. Chief among the items in this class is a handsome chip-carved table, which was quickly snapped up at the price put upon it. Besides the products of local home industries, a considerable number of gifts have been received from friends at a distance, including a pair of large plaques with paintings in oil after Landseer, sent by a friend in England, and a panel of chrysanthemums from a Christchurch friend. A former resident of the parish has donated some excellent India brasswork, and a number of framed photos from paintings by old Italian masters (sacred subjects). Some art goods have been purchased for the bazaar, including some beautiful pairs of statuettes in Parian ware, and many others, and a number of nice things that combine the useful with the ornamental. A toy stall is abundantly supplied with a great variety of juvenile joys, and a large Christmas tree beside it is tastefully ' decorated with smaller articles. A produce stall contains several good-looking hams, baskets of butter, and—a novelty, and an appropriate one —a number of Christmas plum-puddings, which should easily keep till Christmas. On the same stall are fruit, pot-plants, and a collection of second-hand books. A shooting gallery has been laid ouL and in a side-room a gramaphone supplies a musical and elocutionary entertainment, in addition to a concert to be given each evening in the main room. A marquee has been erected as a refreshment room, and suitably and very neatly furnished, and well supplied with substantial nourishment, while within the grain shed fruit, fruit salads, ice-creams and confectionery are dispensed. One of the most notable features of tIlf? bazaar as a whole is the low prices put upon everything, the idea being to ensure a clearance, and at the figures plainly marked on each article there should he no great difficulty in attaining that result. A weight-guessing competition is supplied, in three live sheep, and the gentlemen who are assisting the ladies in the management of the bazaar are equal to devising other means of diverting the visitors and extracting a few more shillings from them for the purpose in view The Protestant Band drove down yesterday afternoon to furnish some music 'in the evening, and Mr R. Wood s string band will perfom this duty for this and to-morrow evenings. The names of the principal stall-holders were puolished yesterday. The name of Mrs Jamieson should be added to those named in charge of the fruit stall, and Mis J. T Smith to those in charge of the sale of work stall, while Mr Hawkes presides over the lottery box