By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

PELHAM – Those looking to peruse dozens of vendors while getting a jumpstart on Christmas shopping will have an opportunity to do so on Nov. 7 while raising money to help those in need in Shelby County.

The Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club will hold its fourth-annual Southern Christmas Bazaar on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena from 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Admission to the event is $7 for adults (or $6 with a canned food donation to benefit Manna Ministries), and is $3 for children 6 and older. Children 6 and younger are admitted free, and advance tickets are available at the Pelham locations of Iberiabank and Renasant Bank.

Since the event began in 2012, it has grown to more than 50 vendors from across the Southeast, and regularly draws hundreds of shoppers looking to purchase everything from homemade food items to clothing and Christmas-themed crafts. Santa Claus will be present for photos with children beginning at 2 p.m., and all Santa photos will appear in the Shelby County Reporter.

The Christmas Bazaar is one of two major annual fundraisers held by the Alabaster-Pelham Rotary Club to benefit local charities and those in need in the Shelby County community.

All proceeds raised during the Christmas Bazaar are used to fund local projects aimed at bettering the lives of local residents facing everything from food insecurity to crisis situations.

“It all stays right here in the community. It’s all used locally,” said Rotary Club member Elizabeth Roland, who works with fellow member Debbie Parrott to organize the event each year. “It’s a great way to begin the Christmas season, because we will have vendors from all over the Southeast there.”

In the past, proceeds from the event have been used to purchase a new van for the Backpack Buddies nonprofit organization to deliver night and weekend meals to hungry children, have supported a future all-inclusive playground in Pelham and more.

The Rotary Club currently is in the process of securing sponsorships for the event in an effort to maximize the amount of proceeds to benefit local charities. For information on the event, including sponsorship information, visit Rotarysouthernchristmas.com.