ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — Start your Christmas shopping early at the 16th Annual Christmas Bazaar, a benefit for the George P. Thames Adult Activity Center, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 at the PZK Hall, 17933 Alabama 104, Robertsdale.
The event will feature a wide variety of arts and crafts, including homemade baskets, wood carvings, homemade blankets and crafts, along with Paparazzi Jewelry and one-of-a-kind custom-made art using ordinary garden tools.
Raffle tickets will also be available for a queen-sized quilt donated to the Center. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. The drawing will be held during the December Birthday Bash on Dec. 11. You do not have to be present to win.
Along with the raffle, money is raised through fees from vendors and the funds are used for a variety of senior activities planned throughout the year.
One of the main expenses is the annual trip to compete in the Masters Games of Alabama, which was held this year in Valley.
A group of 16 participants recently returned with 16 medals from this year’s Master’s Games including five gold, two silver and nine bronze. There were also 11 participants in the 1-mile walk.
According to the East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission Website, the Masters Games of Alabama is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for active adults age 50 and over through social, mental and physical activities.
They were developed in Oxford in 1989 to provide adults age 50 and above an opportunity to maintain an active lifestyle by participating in a variety of events. Each year, between 600 and 800 participants and volunteers from across the state participate in the games.
This is the 14th straight year participants from the Thames Center participated in the games, sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging, also locally by the South Alabama Regional Planning Commission.
The Thames Center represents District 7, which includes Baldwin, Mobile, Escambia, Conecuh, Washington, Choctaw, Clarke, Wilcox and Monroe counties. Participants also attend locally from Orange Beach, Saraland, Chickasaw and Mobile.
The Thames Center serves Robertsdale, Loxley and Silverhill in Central Baldwin. They also have participants from Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Elberta and Malbis.
For more information about the games, go to mastersgamesalabama.org. For more information about activities at the Center, contact Ochello at 251-947-8973.
The George P. Thames Adult Activity Center hosts daily, weekly and monthly events for men and women over age 50 at 22651 E. Chicago St., in Robertsdale or at the PZK Hall, 17933 Alabama 104, Robertsdale. Drop by the adult activity center to pick up a calendar for a full list of events, call 251-947-8973 or email robertsdaleseniorcenter@gmail.com.
