St. John Vianney Parish of Stockholm (Hardyston) held its first-ever flea market on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.
The flea market, sponsored by Knights of Columbus #12649, was held at Madonna Hall on the parish property. The $1,300 dollars raised will be distributed to local charities. In the past, the Knights have donated funds to Nick’s Hope Clothing store of Oak Ridge, a mobile and online thrift shop, and Birth Haven Inc. of Newton, an organization that provides education, shelter, and support for homeless pregnant women and girls. Both are 501c3 non-profit organizations.
Gerard Del Polito, a St. John of Vianney parishioner for almost 30 years, has been a member of the Knights of Columbus #12649 for 14 years and chaired the event.
Del Polito said, “Over the years, we have raised quite a bit of money for the church. Father Ben Williams had approached us and said he was looking for both parishes (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish of Oak Ridge is a sister parish) to help out, to do some sort of fundraiser. The flea market for us would be our simplest thing; it really does not stress us out.”
Although there was severe, inclement weather, 26 vendors set up tables and sold their wares on Saturday, and the next day there were 17.
The event was also well attended with many shoppers. Del Polito said, “There was a big flow of people really early on Saturday, pretty much through right up to about one o'clock, and then it kind of died down, and then Sunday we got a late start, but the end result was decent. Most of the vendors were very happy, and they all said that they would like to come back if we did it again.”
Food and drink were available for purchase, as the Knights cooked breakfast in the morning and then hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries in the afternoon. They sold many raffle tickets as well.
Del Polito added that, in the past, the parish had held popular tag sales, and many parishioners had asked why they were no longer held. He and the Knights are hoping the flea market kindled in many memories of those sales and will encourage attendance during future events, which will include Bingo on Oct. 27 and a potential fall food truck event.