Holly Berry Bazaar Returns Nov. 14

ORLEANS – The line typically forms before 9 a.m. outside the Nauset Regional Middle School gymnasium. Residents and visitors eager to get a jump on their holiday shopping stand at the ready, waiting to peruse the locally crafted gifts and homemade baked goods for sale inside.

For Robin Berlanti and her fellow members of the Orleans branch of the Cape Cod Hospital Auxiliary, that’s all part of the fun behind the biannual Holly Berry Bazaar, set for Nov. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school’s two gymnasiums.

“A lot of people look forward to it,” she said. “It really is a beautiful bazaar with so many handmade things.”

The bazaar, which features locally made jewelry, accessories, knit items, woodcrafts, jams, treats and more, is an antidote for people looking to shop local this holiday season instead of patronizing big box stores. It’s also the auxiliary’s biggest fundraiser. This year, the event is part of the Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation’s $1 million fundraising campaign to support the family birthplace at Cape Cod Hospital. Last year, close to a thousand babies were born at the hospital, Berlanti said.

“Falmouth [Hospital] closed its maternity ward, so Cape Cod Hospital’s like the only game in town to have a baby,” she said. “It’s happening all over the country. You see all these maternity wards getting closed.”

The event will make use of the middle school’s two gyms. The main gym will host vendors and booths, while the rear gym will house the bazaar’s popular “attic treasures” area, which Berlanti described as “a big yard sale.”

“People will be lining up outside the door,” she said. “They all want to get back to that attic treasures room.”

Food will also be available courtesy of the Polka Dot Panini food truck. The auxiliary is also selling $5 raffle tickets for the chance at one of four $500 cash prizes.

“We’ve been selling raffle tickets all summer, all over Orleans, Eastham, all over the place,” Berlanti said. Mrs. Claus will also be on hand to greet shoppers and hand out stickers. 

Approximately 100 volunteer members of the Orleans auxiliary play a role in putting the biannual bazaar together, Berlanti said. But the legwork that goes into making the popular holiday event happen is worth it, Berlanti said.

“It’s a lot of work, but it really is a labor of love,” she said. “Because we really do enjoy putting this all together.”

For more information about the bazaar or the Orleans auxiliary, visit ccha-orleans.org.