The Prairie High School band program once again transformed campus into a festive holiday marketplace during its annual Yuletide Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 29, welcoming hundreds of community members and local vendors for the band’s most successful fundraiser of the year.
The event filled Prairie High School’s gyms, cafeteria, and commons with rows of booths showcasing handmade crafts, baked goods, holiday gifts, and specialty items from approximately 200 to 300 vendors, ranging from generations-old family businesses to Prairie High School alumni.
Band Director Ryan Messling, one of the event’s main organizers, maintains that the Yuletide Bazaar has been a cornerstone fundraiser for the PHS band program for decades, dating back to the mid-to-late 1980’s, when the program was under the leadership of former director Al Aldrige (retired in 2003).
“It’s become a tradition people look forward to every year,” Messling said. “It brings the community into our school, and gives local vendors a space to share what they create, while also supporting our students a whole lot.”
Funds raised from the bazaar typically generate between $11,000 and $14,000 over the course of this single weekend, with an average of about $12,000 going directly back into the band program. According to Messling, these proceeds help cover costs such as transportation, festival fees, instrument repairs, and equipment purchases that allow Prairie High School’s music program to thrive with quality.
Alongside vendors, dozens of PHS band students volunteered throughout the day on Saturday, like every year, to help the event run smoothly. Junior Aksel Bristol, a band member who has volunteered at the bazaar every year of high school, said helping out has become one of his favorite yearly traditions in band.
“Getting to interact with all the vendors is probably the best part,” Bristol said. “We volunteer with our friends, so it doesn’t really feel like work. And when we’re not busy, we can walk around and check out the booths too.” Student volunteers, Bristol among them, assisted with a variety of tasks, including managing food orders for vendors, working the salad bar, and helping visitors navigate the event spaces to streamline the experience for everyone involved.
In addition to shopping, attendees could purchase food such as pizza, tacos, salad bar items, and snacks, making the bazaar a full-day destination for families and community members. Bristol said food booths, especially those selling baked goods and fudge, are always abundantly popular with both volunteers and guests, but tend to sell out fairly quickly.
By the end of the day, the Yuletide Bazaar once again proved to be more than just a fundraiser. It served as a celebration of community, creativity, and student involvement; A holiday tradition that continues to support the Prairie High School band program year after year, a reliable source of joy that has maintained itself across generations.
