Flea Market returns

Hillsville Labor Day Flea Market gets the green light

While Mount Airy is home to a few of its own big-draw events — Mayberry Days and the Autumn Leaves Festival top the list — just north of the city, in Virginia, what might be the world's largest flea market takes place every Labor Day weekend.

After being cancelled in 2020 because of the coronavirus epidemic, organizers say the Hillsville VFW Post 1115 Labor Day Flea Market and Gun Show is "still a go" this year.

Organizers of the event in Hillsville, Virginia, the VFW and the town, confirmed last week they had received numerous calls from concerned vendors and participants asking if the the event had been called off as it had in 2020.

While Bowman Field, a long-time vendor site, will not open, the rest of the event is going on largely as usual.

Vendors for the market will be allowed to come on the Monday before the market opens (August 30) to set up tents and canopies. The selling date begins at 8 a.m. Friday morning, Sept. 3. The VFW gates will close at 6 p.m. every evening of the market. Vendors must quit selling by 4 p.m. on the next Monday evening. Interested people may call for more information on the market at 276-728-5237 or online at www.groverkingvfw.com.

Town officials said they felt they were working well with the Virginia Department of Health under the relaxation of Gov. Ralph Northam's executive order for the pandemic and they are continuing to act as a facilitator for the market. Any vendors looking to relocate from Bowman's can go to the town website under "forms" and then to the "flea market spaces available" link. Those wishing to be put on this list or looking for a place may call the Town Hall at 276-728-2128.

Officials stressed that the market remains one where private landowners, including the VFW, let people set up on their land with the town acting as a regulatory agency for the proceedings through business licenses and vendor permits. Town officials said the Memorial Day Flea Market enjoyed robust attendance but restrictions kept the numbers from exceeding earlier years’ participation because of spacing requirements.

"Everything is still going forward. Nothing has been changed about it…our prices are still the same and I figure it's the same everywhere else. My vendors know if they paid for 2020…the ones who paid a deposit or paid in full…their spaces have been rolled over. We got word out that way but we need to get word out another way," said VFW Post 1115 Commander/ Flea Market Manager Sandra Terry. "My spaces are already ten feet apart and twenty feet deep so distance for me is not an issue."

She said the protocol is people already know to socially distance and each vendor typically has their space organized to meet requirements they feel safe with. Wearing of masks will not be required but will be left up to participants. Terry said as of last week almost 500 vendors had signed up with the VFW, pretty much in line with other years, and older retired vendors being offset by new ones.

"I’m still getting vendors calling all the way from Florida and Pennsylvania. They are calling in from everywhere now. For a lot of these people this market was what they made their living off of for the winter," said Terry. "One of my vendors said our Labor Day weekend is her income for the winter. I hope people are wanting to get out and like everyone else I think this one is going to be a good one this year. The vendors…like me…. just can't wait to get back into the groove of it."

David Broyles may be reached at 276-779-4013 or on Twitter@CarrollNewsDave