Labor Day Bazaar turns 40

What: Labor Day Bazaar

Who: Diamond Springs Fire Department

Where: Main Street in Diamond Springs

When: Monday, Sept. 3 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The annual pancake breakfast will be held at the Mother Lode Lions Hall, corner of Missouri Flat and Pleasant Valley roads from 7 to 11 a.m. The parade begins at 1 p.m. at the intersection of Racquet Way and Pleasant Valley Road and ends at the intersection of China Garden and Pleasant Valley roads. The bazaar is scheduled from sun-up to 3 p.m.

Cost: The parade is free. The pancake breakfast is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

Information: 530-626-3190

DIAMOND SPRINGS — For the last 40 years, the Diamond Springs Fire Protection District has seen its annual Labor Day Bazaar grow into a popular attraction.

In 1972 the bazaar was commonly known as a garage sale, said Tom Anderson, firefighter and chairman for the bazaar. There were 20 volunteers from the fire department and some of their family members setting up tables in front of the fire department at 501 Main St. in Diamond Springs.

“We would have garage sale items. People would stop by with old clothes and furniture,” said Anderson.

This year’s 40th edition of the Labor Day Bazaar is Monday, Sept. 3, and has grown to 80 volunteers involved in the festivities, Anderson said.

The fire department has also grown from an all-volunteer staff in 1972 to a 36-member staff that includes 18 full-time and 18 volunteer firefighters, Anderson said.

“As our department grew, the event grew larger and larger,” Anderson said.

Attendance at the bazaar has also continued to grow from some Diamond Springs residents visiting the front of the fire department in the early 1970s to an estimated 7,000 attending last year’s event, Anderson said.

The bazaar kicks off with its annual breakfast at the Mother Lode Lions Hall at the corner of Missouri Flat and Pleasant Valley roads. The breakfast is scheduled from 7 to 11 a.m. and will include pancakes, ham, watermelon, milk, orange juice and water.

Anderson said there are 140 vendors signed up to sell a wide variety of items from trinkets to homemade crafts to antiques.

Children can even have fun shopping at the bazaar, Anderson said.

“One of the most popular items attracting younger buyers are fart bombs. They are a little package and when stepped on produces a bad odor,” Anderson said. “The kids love it.”

A beer booth will be available for people ages 21 and over, and soda and water will be for sale.

Plenty of vendors are scheduled to be selling food and sweet treats.

Anderson said that the bazaar has the active participation from the California Highway Patrol and the Lions Club.

“They have become actively involved and it is important to recognize them — we thank them,” Anderson said.

A big part of the bazaar is the parade. It is set for 1 p.m. Anderson said that the parade will start at Racquet Way and Pleasant Valley Road and end at China Garden and Pleasant Valley roads. Two of the main features of the parade will be the Union Mine High School and the El Dorado High School marching bands.

Aaron Todd, who is one of the firefighters, will put his helmet aside for one day for headsets, to serve as DJ for the bazaar. He said he plans a variety of music.

One of the big fundraising aspects of the Labor Day Bazaar is the raffle. The big prize for this year’s raffle is a 14-foot fishing boat that seats four people. Other prizes in the raffle are a smaller boat and iPad. Those are just some of the items scheduled to be part of the raffle Anderson said.

“We will have many donations from businesses,” Anderson said.

The tickets can be purchased the day of the bazaar in front of and behind the fire station, near the entertainment area. Anderson said that the raffle is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. The bazaar goes from sun up to 3 p.m.

Proceeds from the tickets sales go towards purchasing new equipment for the fire department, Anderson said.

Preparing for the bazaar is not done overnight, Anderson states.

“Our planning starts in December,” he said.

For more information about the tickets, the parade or vendor spots, contact Katrina at the fire department at 530-626-3190.

Contact Mike Bush at 530-344-5079 or mbush@mtdemocrat.net. Follow @MBushMtDemo on Twitter. 

Mike Bush

Mike Bush has been working at the Mountain Democrat since August 2011. Mike is the Sports Writer and Features Writer.

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