AJ News

By Adam Roberts aroberts@theabingtonjournal.com

With the snow flurries appearing late last week it became clear that it might be time to start thinking about the holidays, and all of the shopping that goes with them.

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Dorothy Boccella, public relation coordinator at the Abington Community Library, stands among the 18 baskets which are being raffled off on Nov. 14 as part of the Holiday Marketplace at the library.

Abington Journal/Adam Roberts

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The Abington Community Library is prepared to help with a new Holiday Marketplace which will be open Friday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the library.

The event, which Public Relations Coordinator Dorothy Boccella hopes will become annual, will serve as a much-needed fundraiser.

“We wanted to raise funds, partly because we’ve lost funds,” Boccella said.

For the event, the library’s Ryon Community Room and Children’s Story Room will house 18 local vendors.

The mostly hand-crafted items for sale will include hand-knitted scarves, jewelry, wooden bowls and cutting boards, holiday wreaths, hand-painted glass items, chocolate candy, purses and more.

Each vendor in attendance will place one item in a raffle, to be drawn at the close of the marketplace.

Boccella hopes that the marketplace will be utilized as a venue for patrons to get their holiday shopping done.

To help with that, the Teen Leadership Committee will be on hand to gift wrap items for a small fee.

The Teen Leadership Committee will also hold a bake sale during the marketplace.

As an added bonus, there will be live music Friday from 7 to 8 p.m., performed by cellist Joan Daniels and strings group Trio Barocco.

Leading up to the event, the library is holding a basket raffle. Items from local businesses are now on display and raffle tickets can be purchased at the circulation desk. Tickets are two for $1, 12 for $5 and 25 for $10.

There are currently 18 baskets on display, but Boccella said there could be as many as 20 by the day of the event.

According to Boccella, examples of raffle items include bagels for a year from Panera Bread, dance lessons from Step by Step and a three-month membership to Core Fitness. A manicure from Sanderson State Street Salon, a wreath and gift certificate from White’s Country Floral and a gift certificate for Atlantic Fish and Seafood will be among several other baskets.

Fast Signs has also donated a banner to the library to advertise the event.