RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Shoppers, get your pocketbooks ready.
The annual Ramstein Welfare Bazaar begins Thursday with 150 vendors selling everything from furniture to food.
The bazaar, produced by the Ramstein Officers Spouses Club and 86th Services, is one of the largest in Europe.
Buses will bring shoppers from as far away as RAF Lakenheath and RAF Mildenhall in England and Naples and Vicenza, Italy.
The club has been planning this year’s event since January, chairwoman MiMi Wilcox said Tuesday.
New to the bazaar this year is a Weinstrasse featuring several booths where visitors can taste wines from the Rheinpfalz region and beyond.
“People can walk and sip and walk and sip,” Wilcox said.
Twenty-five vendors new to the bazaar also will be showing their wares.
Twenty-five food booths will offer a variety of fare.
The proceeds from the bazaar will benefit Kaiserslautern military community groups, such as the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, breast cancer support groups and area schools.
Last year, Wilcox said, area schools received $44,000 from the bazaar.
The event takes place in Hangars 1 and 2 on the Ramstein flight line. Entry is free with a U.S. or NATO forces identification card and free parking is available on the tarmac.
Payment is accepted only in dollars. The USAF Club Card, Visa and MasterCard credit cards also are accepted.
The bazaar runs from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday; from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
