Labor Day Flea markets

This past weekend we attended The Hillsville Labor Day flea markets and gun show. Twice a year on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends, the entire town of Hillsville turns into a huge flea market. Around 500,000 people are expected to attend. It's hard to get a good picture, but the flea market extends back filling miles of fields and parking lots. It is not just along the main strip like the picture shows.

The flea market brings vendors and people from all over. There are antique dealers, gun enthusiasts, food vendors, a few crafters, and lots of junk dealers. Almost every year, we attend the Labor day flea markets, just to say we went. We also go for the food. :) Once a year, i really like to indulge in super unhealthy fair food. :)

We usually enjoy the Hawaiian shaved ice, but this time Sage requested the chocolate covered frozen cheesecake on a stick. Holy cow was it good! They also have all the usual yummy fair treats like homemade kettle corn, homemade ice cream...and some groovy looking homemade Rootbeer that came in old fashion looking bottles with cork stoppers. Funnel cakes, and caramel apples and lots of super greasy, artery clogging deep fried anything.

We always get a blooming onion. Yes, i know how unhealthy it is..and no, i don't care. It was sooo good. hee hee. Even with the ranch sauce that was all hot from sitting out in the sun. The idea totally grossed me out, but we still ate it and no one got sick. Bonus!

So besides being a flea market, it's a gun show. which means folks can come from where ever and buy a gun without a permit or background check.

This is a sight i just can't ever get used to. Some folks are carrying shot guns, while other folks are walking around with pistols in holsters, rifles with scopes strapped to their backs or other types of handguns. Nothing like being a bit claustrophobic and being crammed elbow to elbow with lots of people with big guns. i'm honestly not sure why we even still attend...the food isn't that good...well, maybe it is. :)
Folks everywhere we're proudly wearing stickers (probably from the NRA) that said, "Guns Save Lives" and my first thoughts when reading this sticker was, "from what? Other people with guns?"