There are holiday bazaars that border on the bizarre-all those crocheted toilet paper covers and petrified marshmallow tree ornaments-and then there`s the Newberry Library`s Very Merry Bazaar.
The lofty ceilings and quiet hush of the history and humanities archive seems an unlikely setting for the Christmas craft crowd, but you won`t find the usual fare at this fair. Forty local non-profit museums and cultural centers will display weird and wonderful gifts on the first floor of the stately brick building at 60 W. Walton St., Friday through Sunday.
Check out freeze-dried astronaut food, including ice cream and french fries ($1.50-$2.95) for your favorite space cadet, from the Museum of Science and Industry. Tap into your musician`s heart with a dumbek ceramic and goatskin drum ($120) or a classic kazoo ($1.75) from the Old Town School of Folk Music. Spy on the sky with the Adler Planetarium`s Astroscan Telescope
($330, with membership), leap into a Ballet Chicago T-shirt ($15) or feel the riches of Braille Monopoly ($48) and Braille placemats ($4.50) from the Guild for the Blind. Design the right look with jewelry ($20-$45) and boxed cards ($10-$17) from the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio. Celebrate the African-American holiday Kwanzaa, which begins Dec. 26, with supplies from DuSable Museum. Or simply wonder at these wonders, including live music and children`s shows, for $3 daily admission or $5 for the weekend.
Hours: Noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 312-943-9090, ext. 310.