By ANNA GILGOFF

Special to The Press

At the Ebenezer United Church of Christ bazaar on Oct. 14, 3-year-old William Muro’s eyes lighted on a special treasure made of yellow plastic on a table loaded with toys.

“Oh, dump truck!” he exclaimed. “This dumps the dirt.”

But as much as he loved the yellow truck, little William kept going back to a musical toy that played “Toyland” over and over again.

The child and his mother were two of the many thrift-conscious shoppers who ignored the rain to attend Ebenezer’s annual bazaar in search of something special.

“I’m on a hunt for puzzles, vintage salt and pepper shakers and vintage table ware,” Jacqueline Scheib said. “I collect Anchor Hocking glass and brown drip Pfaltzgraff. This is fabulous.”

Her friend Dawn Parker couldn’t agree more.

“The prices are very, very good,” she said, her arms loaded with puzzles and a wooden organizer.

Shoppers moved slowly but purposefully.

“We get things for our little girl,” said Andy Treese, a proud dad who was shopping with his wife.

“One year, we bought a hat that had long extensions,” said his wife, Frances. “You could put your hands in, and she still loves it.”

The couple was delighted with the seasonally themed items they found.

“We do holidays very big at our house,” she said. “You can’t find things like that at the mall.”

Locals also braved the rain to attend the bazaar.

“My mother-in-law lives up the road and though we don’t make it to every bazaar, we try to come once a year,” Kyle Buff said, as he patiently followed his two children as they explored the room.

“You find people here who are genuinely nice,” Andy Treese said.

“They’re just not fake people.”

The bazaar couldn’t happen without the dedication of the Ebenezer Church women’s group.

At the craft table, an array of hand wrought items was on full display.

Many of them were inspired by Sheila Burkert, who regularly brings ideas to the group.

“After I went to a yard sale and I found a bag full of wood slices, I thought ‘What could I do with them?’” Burkert said. “Then, everybody took a plaque and decorated it.”

“Everything here was made by us,” said Diane DiMartino, lovingly referred to as the quilt lady. “We have lap quilts and feed bag kitchen towels from years ago.”

“Crocheting is quicker than knitting but cross stitch quilts take hours to make.”

Most times, the crafters meet weekly.

“About six of us meet every Tuesday,” Sharon Andersch said, who was especially proud of a Santa figure with a mop beard. “If I have an idea, I just bring it up.”

In another corner of the room, costume jewelry and watches lined wooden tables.

“My mom [Barbara Rauch] got donations from millions of people,” a smiling Kim Martin said, who was overseeing the jewelry corner.

“People have a lot of jewelry they don’t use.”

Business was brisk at the basket sale that featured a range from wine to Longaberger baskets.

“There are 37 baskets this year,” Pam Delligatti said. “That’s the most we’ve had.”

The baskets were donated by women of the church.

“Most were premade, or they would bring items and we would assemble them,” she said.

“Some are themed,” Donna Herman explained. “There’s one with cookbooks and a lot of wine baskets.”

“The cookbooks basket included cookbooks we’ve done over the years at the church for fundraisers,” Delligatti said. “There are gift cards, too.”

“Who doesn’t like Amazon,” laughed Herman, referring to a $25 gift card nestled in one of the baskets. “People all love them.”

Besides taking a chance on a winning basket, shoppers could purchase baked goods or grab a bite to eat.

“There’s hot dogs, barbecue, soups and dessert,” Anna Lou said.

“This is our yearly project.”

“My mother-in-law, Donna Krenicky, has been making pies since last Thursday,” Kyle Buff said. “That’s her jam.”

“The food is a big hit,” Susan Lazar said.

“The ladies and gentlemen worked really hard. People don’t realize that it takes a lot of effort to pull things together, a lot.”