Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

With Thanksgiving just over a week away, charities have begun increasing their outreach efforts: Bells ringing for money donations, Salvation Army food drives, Christmas shoeboxes and more. This Saturday, the Firehouse Arts Center will have their own charitable event, as they hold their annual Bizarre Bazaar event, this year attached to a new fundraiser, “Art with a Purpose.” This event aims at raising money for local food banks, and will allow participants to paint bowls and plates, which can be fired on sight in 30 minutes.

“Food insecurity and hunger are serious topics. The Firehouse Arts Center wants to provide a fun and memorable experience for those in our community who want to make a difference in someone’s life this holiday season,” director Leigh Parsons told the Post Searchlight in an official statement. “We’re going to try and incorporate Christmas, you know, ‘Decorate your own plate for Santa Claus cookies.’”

In addition, there will be 16 vendors at the Bizarre Bazaar, including jewelry makers, watercolor painters, bakers and woodworkers, just to name a few. The price for Art with a Purpose plates varies: $20 for adult Firehouse members, $25 for non-member adults, and $10 for children under 12. The event is being sponsored by First National Bank.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Parsons said. “There’s going to be new vendors that have never come here before. We’re going to have new artwork; it’s going to be a lot of fun for everybody, especially for Christmas shopping. This will be a good opportunity to kick-start your Christmas shopping with some unique artwork, hand-made by local artists.”