PORT BYRON - A good lunch, a few sweet treats, tables full of knick-knacks and a handful of local craftspeople all came together Saturday for the annual Port Byron United Methodist Church's Fall Bazaar and Craft Show.

Carolyn Wethey, a member of the United Methodist Women's Mission, said that the sale has been a tradition for as long as anyone can remember.

“I've been helping with this for at least 15 years,” Wethey said. “But it has been going on for a long time before that.”

But as long as it has been going on, the intention of the bazaar has been to help raise funds for the various mission projects the church and the women's mission supports.

“It is all to help raise funds,” Wethey said. “Half of what we raise goes to the church, without the church we wouldn't be here. And we use the rest of what we raise to support our missions that help bring relief to disaster areas around the world.”

To help do this, the afternoon event brings together a little bit of everything, from some good home cooking to one-of-a-kind handmade items.

“Everything is donated,” Wethey said. “People will donate items to sell. People have donated their time cooking lunch for the afternoon and people have spent their time making other things to sell. I think the support this gets really shows just how amazing people are.”

Sarah Gilmore, of Port Byron, creator of Le Chocolat, spent several days making a wide variety of confections to get ready for her first year at the bazaar. Gilmore said that it was on a bit of a whim that she decided to try her had as a chocolate creator, but she quickly found that she had a knack for the craft.

“I just bought some chocolate one day and thought why not try,” Gilmore said. “It came out pretty well and I really enjoy it.”

Gilmore rolled out a variety of chocolates and combined a few unique flavors, all to help out the church.

“It took me two days to make all this,” Gilmore said. “I made a bunch of different things, like chocolate and marshmallows and chocolate covered pretzels. People seem to like the chocolate covered potato chips; I think that is something a little different. I know some people here at the church and I just thought it would be nice to help out and do something for the church.”

Bob Melvin, of Conquest, a lifelong woodworker and jewelry maker, is also a dedicated churchgoer.

“I just try to help out and do what they need,” Melvin said. “I've made kneeling benches and a stained glass table for the church. Whatever they need I've been glad to help out.”

With a variety of jewelry and scroll-saw-cut wooden pictures, the bazaar gave Melvin the perfect outlet to show his talents while helping a place he cars deeply about.

“This is my first time here,” Melvin said. “I just thought it would be a nice way to help out the church.”

While things were a little slow on Saturday, Wethey said that the bazaar has always been a successful fundraiser for the church and mission, perhaps more than anything because of the type of community Port Byron is.

“This is a good area,” Wethey said. “We have been able to do this and be successful because of the generosity of the people. All the people who donate and make things and all the people who stop and have something to eat or do a little shopping. I think it just shows how great this area is.”