Day Off

On Friday, September 4, we took the day off and made the trek to Hillsville, Virginia to the 42nd Annual VFW Labor Day Gun Show and Flea Market. It was a long day of walking. The weather was sunny and dry which is unusual for Hillsville. You can usually count on it raining during this event turning much of it into a mud pit. There seemed to be a dip in the number of vendors present from 2008 as there were a few empty spots inside of the VFW area. Some of the lots outside of the VFW were only half full from previous years. The vacant spots seemed to be only on the hillsides. That was fine with me because we didn't have to climb them to see the vendor's wares. We arrived at 7:45 AM and were lucky to get a parking place at the Masonic Lodge near Main Street. Shoppers were already filling the sidewalks and lots and the vendors were already set up and selling. Friday is the least busy day for the Gun Show and Flea Market; and, it is our favorite time to go. During the 4-Day event, Hillsville will swell from a population of 2,200 to 500,000. We found some bargains in silverplate for our web nanny's business Dinner Time Chimes and we purchased over 700 pieces for her. Finding the silverplate was easy, but it was carrying it to the truck that was hard. Silverplate is very heavy! We had to make several trips. I also purchased a bottle tree that I put out in front of the barn. I already have several green, white, purple and brown bottles on my tree. The colored glass catches the sunlight and makes it sparkle.