The Superior community came together to help improve the lives of their Nepalese sister city residents at the town’s annual holiday bazaar.

On Saturday, the Superior-Khandbari Sister City Project held its fourth annual bazaar at the Superior Community Center, 1500 Coalton Road. While serving as a destination for people to do some holiday shopping, the event doubled as a fundraiser for the sister city project to raise funds for the people in Khandbari, a town in eastern Nepal.

The sister city project started in 2021. Since then, the bazaar has raised money for philanthropic endeavors. People involved with the project want to build a structure for farmers markets that take place weekly in Khandbari. By providing a roof and seating, the structure will protect the farmers from the rain and wind that often disrupts the markets.

“All my life, I saw that kind of thing happening,” said Narayan Shrestha, chair of the Superior-Khandbari Sister City Project, who is from Nepal. “We want to make a permanent structure, so they don’t have to run away.”

The vendors at the bazaar will donate 20% of their proceeds from Saturday to the project, and the Superior-Khandbari Sister City Project hopes to raise $150,000 to build the structure.

“We’re going to try and build something a little nicer for them so they can still have that commerce, but be a little more comfortable,” said Michelle Batey, vice chair of the Superior-Khandbari Sister City Project.

This year, nearly 60 vendors had booths throughout the community center to display their creations. Some were local, while others traveled from out of town for the event, Batey explained. Last year’s event had around 40 vendors.

“I think a lot of people wait until this event to do some shopping, because they know it has very unique stuff,” Batey said. “And they also like supporting small businesses.”

Those visiting the market could choose from a wide variety of artisan goods. Vendors sold jewelry, mugs, shirts, puzzles and artwork.Superior resident Lori Ogbuji sold handmade holiday stars crafted from tissue paper. Ogbuji has attended all four bazaars, watching the event grow each year.

“It’s always a good time,” Ogbuji said. “There’s always a good flow of people coming and going.”

Author Tricia Copeland, another Superior resident, sold her books on Saturday. She said the bazaar’s fundraising efforts are a win-win for everyone involved.

“It’s just great to give back,” Copeland said. “People like to buy things for a cause, and I like to give back to a cause.”