Contemplating a calm activity to destress before finals week?

Marigold: The Oregon State University Center for Contemplative Practice will hold its second annual bookstore and winter craft market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the weekend of Dec. 6-7. 

Along with books, the fair will feature baked goods and drinks from Wild Yeast Bakery and wreathmaking classes from florist Alysia Greco of Fuzzy Bee Farm.

Sales from the bookstore will go toward supporting scholarships for mindfulness and meditation classes for OSU students and the greater community. 

The winter market is about “creating more sustainable and wholesome holiday rhythms, giving used items, and sharing beloved contemplative books within the community,” said Kate Gallagher, director of Marigold and the Contemplative Studies Initiative, in an email. 

The Marigold Center was opened two years ago in downtown Corvallis as an offshoot of the College of Liberal Arts. The center offers yoga, meditation and mindfulness classes to both OSU students and the general public.

According to its website, the Contemplative Studies Initiative aims to “help people study and cultivate skills that will help them to be happy, thrive, and make a strong and positive contribution to society.” 

“The funds through book sales support Marigold operations and our ability to offer scholarships to folks experiencing financial limitations,” said Gallagher in an email. 

Browsing the bookstore is free and no preregistration is required. Books are priced between three and 20 dollars. Wreathmaking classes cost $48 per person.