The streets surrounding the Old Court House Museum Saturday were packed with people looking for a bargain or something unique for themselves or a friend.

The 36th edition of the Old Court House Flea Market opened under sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-80s as people walked along Cherry, Jackson, Monroe and Grove streets lined with vendors, food booths and booths for political candidates from constable to congress.

Alline Self, a former Vicksburg resident, who now lives in Goodman, was back home with her daughter to tour the market.

“I haven’t been here in a long time; things have changed a lot,” she said as she stood on Cherry Street holding two bird houses on short poles (‘One for me and one for my daughter.’). I always loved the flea market.”

Karen Allred was out walking with her husband and her dog Beretta (“like the gun”), a Great Dane mixed breed rescue that bore a campaign sticker on her rear.

“We live downtown,” Allred said. “This was a chance to get out of the house and have an outing for the dog.”

On Monroe Street, where the food booths were lined up, Mike Dollar’s voice could easily be heard as he issued the call, “meat pies!” for Christ Episcopal Church’s booth, which sold meat and crawfish pies.

Dollar, a member of Christ Episcopal, has served as the booth’s barker for the five years the church has been selling the pies. This year, he did his calling from a chair.

The pies, church rector the Rev. Sam Godfrey said, are very popular.

“We’ll start selling by 9 a.m. and we’ll be sold out by 2,” he said.

Not far from the food booths, Vicksburg police crossing guard Shirley Dorsey was working traffic, routing cars from the flea market.

“This is my first time working the flea market,” she said. “The people have been pretty nice when we tell them they have to turn.”

On Jackson Street. Sharice Taylor was selling her clothing brand, “Daddy’s Daughter,” which featured T-shirts, tumblers and badges.

“I started the brand in 2014 after my father died,” she said.

“This is my first time here with Daddy’s Daughter; I was here last year with my poetry book.”

Not far from Taylor, Fern Brown was selling wooden yard signs and Christmas Decorations.

“Business has been good,” she said. “We haven’t been here in a long time, but my neighbor (who had an adjacent booth) said, ‘We’ve got to go.’ I’m glad we came. I’ve always enjoyed being here.”

“From what people are telling us, this may be our biggest one yet,” museum director Bubba Bolm said Saturday morning.

He said it was too early to say how many people were visiting the market, but added, “We usually have about 3,000. This is our biggest fundraiser. We needed it.”