The 32nd annual Old Court House Museum fall Flea Market is just around the corner, but there is still time for vendors to sign up.
The flea market is set to open at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4 on the square around the Old Court House Museum, said Bubba Bolm, curator of the museum.
“There will be a couple hundred vendors from the state and out of state,” Bolm said.
An assortment of wares ranging from honey harvested in Warren County to handmade knifes will be available from between 150 and 200 vendors on the day of the flea market, he said.
Spaces are still available, and applications for vendor spaces will be accepted until the Friday before the flea market. Cost is $50 for a retail booth and $60 for a food booth.
Among the vendors already signed up is the flea market’s founder Cason Schaffer, who will have his regular spot on Grove Street under the shade trees of the new courthouse.
“That’s where we’ve hibernated for a number of years. We have all kinds of stuff down there. You can’t imagine how much stuff is packed in down there,” Schaffer said.
Retired Old Court House Museum curator Gordon Cotton said Schaffer began the flea market after another market wouldn’t let him sell his collectibles because they weren’t art.
Schaffer began selling items at flea markets when he and his four sons became interested in relic hunting.
“We’ve got all sorts of interesting things that are collectable,” Schaffer said.
In addition to the Old Court House Flea Markets, Schaffer also hosts the Vicksburg Civil War Relics and Coin Show.
His booth at the flea market has become such a staple, some visitors stop in every year to see him, Schaffer said.
“It makes an interesting conversation. There are plenty of things to go around,” he said.
During the flea market, the street is packed with shoppers and folks enjoying time visiting with friends, Bolm said.
“There are usually 3,000 to 5,000 locals that come through town that day,” Bolm said. “It’s a fun time every year. That’s always one of the best things about it is you walk the streets and see people you haven’t seen in a while.”