Autumn merch and nautical merch displayed against a small red shed at Nicole Maloney’s fall sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
THIS TIME OF YEAR in Minnesota, we not only usher in autumn but also the season of fall craft, collectible, vintage and antique sales. This past weekend, two women in the unincorporated hamlet of Cannon City just east of Faribault hosted two occasional seasonal sales.
Shoppers peruse goods inside and outside Debbie Glende’s barn as smoke wafts from a campfire. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Both were marketed as barn sales—Nicole Maloney’s Mini Flea at the Red Barn and Debbie Glende’s The Barn Sale.
Halloween goods galore at the Mini Flea at the Red Barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I shopped at both, located across the road from one another along Rice County Road 20/Cannon City Boulevard. I’ve been to Glende’s several times, but never Maloney’s although she’s sold goods in her yard and a small shed for some 10 years. Somehow I missed her market.
The red barn in need of shingles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
But you can’t miss the massive weathered red barn which rises above her rural property. It was the first building I noticed upon pulling into the yard. And it is the reason, says Maloney, she opens her place once a year to sell her finds. Monies raised from the sale are going toward reshingling the barn. I expressed my gratitude to her for saving her barn when so many others are falling into heaps of rotting wood.
Inside Maloney’s shed, the display that tipped me off to a design degree. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I also complimented Maloney on her artful displays of merchandise. I could see she has an eye for design. I was not surprised that she holds an interior design degree, although she doesn’t work in the field. The annual sale allows her to use her design skills to create inviting displays.
An outdoorsy and cabin themed merchandise display created by Maloney. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
This small shed centered the sale in Maloney’s yard.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
One side of Maloney’s shed featured all Halloween merchandise. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
As I wandered about the yard, I saw separate groupings of items themed to rustic cabin/farmhouse, Halloween, Christmas, nautical and more. And sometimes I observed simply a hodge podge of goods, including furniture. All of it, though, seemed deliberately staged to appeal to shoppers.
A vintage truck surrounded by fall decorations serves as a photo prop for shoppers at The Barn Sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Seasonal appropriate signage for sale at The Barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I saw a lot of these cute cats, in assorted Halloween colors, inside Glende’s barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Across the road at Glende’s sale in her small (compared to Maloney’s) red barn, shoppers circled inside the building to view an eclectic array of merchandise cramming shelves and tables, hanging from walls, sitting on the floor. From my non-merchandising perspective, it looks like a lot of work to artfully arrange and showcase all those goods.
The steak sign, left, caught my eye. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Like her neighbor, Glende’s merchandise was heavy on Halloween and autumn themes. As it should be for a sale held the last weekend in September. She also holds sales in December and again in the spring. But my eye was drawn to a large vintage sign promoting beef sirloin steak for $1.50. I don’t know if that was per steak or per pound, but a bargain either way.
Shoppers could poke through miscellaneous items scattered around Glende’s yard. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Outside the small red barn, shoppers found plenty of piles of stuff. Junk to some. Treasures to others.
My husband, Randy, has a little fun with antlers he found at Glende’s sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Sales like these appeal to me also because the sellers are attempting to extend the lives of whatever rather than tossing something into the garbage to end up in a landfill. It’s a win-win for everyone.
The vintage lamp I really liked, but didn’t buy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I seldom buy anything at these sales because, at this age in my life, I don’t need more stuff. Even if I see a lot of items that I would really really like to have. Such as a vintage lamp in Glende’s yard. And a small round side table in Maloney’s.
Before leaving Glende’s sale, I photographed these friendly donkeys behind a shed per an invitation to do so. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Instead, I settled for photographing these two barn sales, which attract many, bring back memories and prove a delightful way to spend a bit of time on a stunning autumn day in southern Minnesota.
Vendors set up shop on the grounds of the Rice County Historical Society last Saturday. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I’VE SHOPPED ENOUGH FLEA MARKETS, garage sales and thrift shops through the decades to understand that all three hold nostalgia and memories along with some bargain prices.
Vintage goods offered by Rex Kern. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
Take the recent Rice County Historical Society Fall Flea Market in Faribault. Browsing through tables of merchandise and talking to vendors elicited many memories with second-hand goods prompting stories.
Vendor Rex Kern, left, visits during the flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I detasseled Dekalb seedcorn and my dad grew Dekalb. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
For example, when I spotted a Dekalb seedcorn sign, I initiated a conversation with merchant Rex Kern about detasseling corn for Dekalb. Worst job, ever, I declared. Kern listened and then agreed that pulling tassels from corn stalks in the heat and humidity of July, dew running down my arms, corn leaves slicing my skin for $1.25 hour sounded awful. But then he shared his story about catching and stuffing turkeys into cages. That, I said, sounded far worse than pulling tassels. Kern didn’t last long at that job. In my mind, I was seeing, too, the many loaded turkey trucks that pass through Faribault en route to the turkey plant only blocks from the flea market.
This beautiful bride brought back memories of my own bridal doll. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
At Kern’s booth I also found assorted dolls standing in cardboard boxes, their heads peeking above the edges as if watching shoppers. I found the scene a bit creepy although the dolls were not creepy. Among those dolls was a bride, which sent me back to a childhood Christmas. I received a bridal doll enclosed in a red suitcase. She was beautiful. Until she wasn’t. My older brother took her and smashed in her boobs. Why? Because, sometimes brothers can be mean.
Among the albums at the flea market, heart throb Donny Osmond. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
If Donny Osmond, who performed with his older brothers in the Osmonds band and then solo, was ever mean to his only sister, Marie, I don’t know. But I do know that I considered him a heart throb. A flea market album, “Donny Osmond—Alone Together,” was enough to temporarily take me back in time to my teen years of swooning over the likes of Osmond, David Cassidy, Bobby Sherman and many other teen idols.
This unrelated collection of merchandise drew my eye, prompted memories. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
But I wasn’t exactly embracing the clown I saw sandwiched between Winnie the Pooh and a bunny. I remember, as a kid, fearing clowns in parades. Not any more. Still, I wouldn’t intentionally buy a clown to display in my home.
A Fun Lil’ Band plays at the flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
It’s interesting how memories that have long been tucked away can suddenly resurface when triggered by a sight, a smell, a sound, a conversation. In a brief conversation with members of A Fun Lil’ Band, playing at the flea market, I shared that I never had the opportunity to play an instrument and can’t even read a musical note. The closest I came to playing music was on a toy accordion I received for Christmas one year. And, no, none of my three brothers wrecked that.
This vintage 1930s bike priced at $200 looked similar to one my mom rode. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
My maternal grandfather salvaged wrecked bikes from the junkyard, repairing and repainting them for me and my siblings. So when I saw several vintage bikes for sale at the flea market, I thought of Grandpa. I only wish I had realized then what a gift of love this was to us, his grandchildren. Without Grandpa fixing up those bikes, I wouldn’t have had “Sky Blue,” (yes, I named my bike) the recycled bike he painted sky blue and gave to me. My very own bike, no sharing with siblings required.
Young entrepreneur Avery set up shop at the flea market. She also sells on etsy. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I expect other flea market shoppers found memories among the tables and tables and tables of merchandise. I also found a 13-year-old selling her homemade bracelets and earrings via her business, DazzleberryBeads. Avery started the company because she wants to buy a dog. She’s almost there. I failed to ask her what kind of dog.
A shopper brought her dog, which I asked to photograph. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
But I did see, and photograph, a dog at the flea market.
Commemorative buttons from Faribault for sale at the flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
I appreciate the stories shared at flea markets, the memories recalled, the art discovered, the history displayed. A flea market is about so much more than getting rid of “junk,” which really isn’t junk at all. It’s about all of us, collectively, sharing our lives.
This, the vendor said, is a sheriff. The piece reminded me of all the Westerns I watched as a child. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2025)
TELL ME: Do any of the items in the photos featured here prompt memories for you? Please share your stories.
Photos of fashionable hats shown in the HATS exhibit in Waseca, Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
WE’VE ALL WORN different hats. Personally. Socially. Professionally.
Panels of hat photos and information. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
I’ve worn the hats of daughter, wife, mother, grandma, friend, sister, aunt, student, intern, newspaper reporter, writer, editor, photographer, poet, volunteer and much more. Collectively, these multiple hats, or roles, helped shape me into the person I am today.
This shows a portion of the many hats in the exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
But what about actual hats, you know, the ones you place on your head? A fascinating exhibit at the Waseca County History Center, simply titled “HATS,” offers an historic glimpse of late 1800s to more current-day hats from the museum and personal collections. The display will be up until the end of June.
This display features classy men’s hats of yesteryear plus hatboxes. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
This ranks not only as an informative exhibit of hats, a few caps and related items, but also as a fun visual of fashion. From fancy hats with feathers and florals to all-business derbys and boaters to big floppy hats of the 1970s, the range of head-toppers evolves as time and styles change.
An entire glass case showcases vintage hatpins like this jeweled one. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
And then there are the lovely vintage hatpins, elegant yet practical. A woman of yesteryear could pull a hatpin to defend herself if necessary.
Vintage hatboxes are artfully displayed throughout the exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
Vintage hatboxes, too, are part of the display, adding an artful element. As someone who appreciates type and fonts, and art, I found myself drawn to the mostly-round hatboxes. They truly are works of art as well as containers to store and protect hats.
A reply to a writing prompt posted in the HATBOX. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
I especially liked the interactive HATBOX corner, a hidden space to sit, pull a writing prompt from a hatbox, think and reply to the prompt before anonymously posting it on a wall. That got me thinking about the many hats I’ve worn and still wear. Hats down, my most cherished hats are those of daughter, wife, mother and grandma. The others matter, too, but not as deeply, not as personally, as donning the hats of loving, caring for and supporting my closest family.
A fun cap in the exhibit. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
Actual, physical hats I’ve worn call for a bit more thought because I didn’t wear all that many. I had, still have, two childhood Easter bonnets. And then there’s the floppy lime green with white polka dots cotton hat I donned while detasseling corn. Perhaps I remember it best because I remember so well the experience of yanking tassels from cornstalks in the sweltering heat and humidity of July in southwestern Minnesota. Worst job ever, hats down, paying only $1.25/hour. Imagine dew rolling down your arms, corn leaves slicing your skin, the hot sun baking your body, no place to pee except between corn rows. A grimy band of sweat ringed that polka dot hat by day’s exhausting end.
The Waseca County History Center museum, 315 Second Ave. N.E., is open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.(Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2025)
While I didn’t see any hats quite like mine in the Waseca exhibit, I saw some that were similar. But mostly I saw how the hats we wear, literally or metaphorically, identify and shape us. Hats change with time, as we grow, progress, move through life. This display documents that, causing me to pause, to reflect, to consider all the hats I’ve worn through the years.
TELL ME: What hats have you worn? Which matter to you most and why? Or which proved a defining moment in your life?
A vintage Santa waits inside a vintage vehicle at the recent “Vintage Christmas in the Barn” holiday market in Cannon City. The holiday sale is over. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
DO MOST KIDS STILL BELIEVE in Santa Claus? Or at least the magic of Santa? I hope so.
There’s something profoundly wonderful about Santa. He represents the best in all of us. He listens. He’s always happy. He loves cookies and milk. And he doesn’t promise us the moon. To do so would not be in our best interests, although a child with a long list of wants may disagree.
Generations of kids have wondered what they will find under the tree at Christmas. This scene is inside the barn at the recent “Vintage Christmas in the Barn” holiday sale. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
There was a time when I paged through the Sears & Roebuck Christmas catalog looking for toys I thought I needed. It really was a futile effort as I never got them anyway. But I was dreaming as every child is wont to do before Christmas. Except, I think, in 2024 kids are more likely to get what they want.
Outdoor decor for sale at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn” earlier in the holiday season. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
I wonder what Santa thinks of all the requests today. Would he prefer to hire elves who are skilled only in woodworking versus computer programming? Would he prefer simpler toys that engage the imagination and spark creativity to so many electronics? Does his head spin when he inventories the ever-growing number of gadgets and batteries piling up at the North Pole?
Holiday goods for sale at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Just thinking about everything Santa needs to keep straight makes my head spin. At least he’s contracted with others to help in gift delivery. I never thought one team of reindeer could possibly handle the job. Santa can’t do everything. There’s a lot of pressure to get gifts delivered on time. (Thank you, postal workers, and others.)
An oversized, handcrafted wooden Santa greets shoppers at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Despite all of the changes through the decades, Santa remains as popular as ever, so it seems to me. Parents still plop crying babies on Santa’s lap for photos. Kids approach the Jolly Old Guy with a mix of trepidation and hope. In the end, Santa still holds a sense of wonder that remains timeless through the generations. And therein lies the magic of Santa. Do you believe?
A creative merchandise display inside the barn at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” which featured old stuff for sale inside a barn, an outbuilding and outdoors. My older brother had a Tonka digger. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
MENTION THE WORD “vintage” and I’m all in. Perhaps it’s my age. But probably not. I’ve always preferred the stuff of yesteryear to the stuff of today. For that reason, I am drawn to shops, garage sales and other places selling antiques, primitives, collectibles, second hand and vintage.
The site of the recent holiday market, “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” in Cannon City. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
This time of year, especially, “old” is out there, including in Cannon City, where Debbie Glende, aka The Crabby Wren, opens her outbuildings for occasional seasonal sales. Her holiday market, “Vintage Christmas in the Barn,” is no longer open. But it got me thinking about how much I appreciate the goods of yesteryear. And how this old stuff can make an ideal Christmas gift. It’s even a bit trendy now, especially with the younger generation, to shop thrift stores. Repurpose, reuse and keep stuff out of the landfill.
I recycled festive holiday trim and a card from Christmases past to decorate this gift. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
I’ve been doing this for a long time. Buying used, using goods passed down to me from family, even gifting second hand. And, yes, I save and reuse gift bags, tissue paper, ribbons and bows and recycle greeting cards as gift tags, all to the ridicule of my siblings. Let ’em laugh. Mom would be proud that I’m following her thrifty example.
A paint-by-number winter scene painted by my Great Grandma Anna and currently displayed in my home for the holidays. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
If you were to step into my home, you would find lots of vintage. I have collections of vintage glassware, which I use daily; vintage tablecloths, pulled out whenever I have dinner guests; and vintage art (including paint-by-number), displayed throughout my home.
My vintage early 1970s vinyl with two songs by Bob Dylan. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo December 2024)
And then there’s my vinyl collection including a recording of a young Michael Jackson of The Jackson 5 singing “I’ll Be There” in a high-pitched voice. I got that record as a Christmas gift in 1970. Likewise my vinyl of heartthrob David Cassidy making his case in “I Think I Love You” with The Partridge Family. I can still belt out the words as that love song blasts on a garage sale turntable. And not to be forgotten, Minnesota native Bob Dylan with his ballad “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.” That’s especially timely with the Christmas release of “A Complete Unknown,” a movie about Dylan. Yes, I like vintage.
Gathering with extended family in my home for a Thanksgiving dinner around George and Clara’s table many years ago. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
My dining room table, of unknown vintage, came from George and Clara’s home, purchased at George’s farm auction after he passed. The couple lived a few sections over from my childhood home near Vesta. For the past four decades plus, my family has gathered around that large oval wooden table with the graceful, curved legs. We’ve shared thousands of meals, talked and laughed and, yes, even cried. Kids did their homework there. Grandkids drew. Tabletop dings mark memories.
The 1960s amber glasses purchased for my mom and which I now have and use daily. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
Perhaps that’s the appeal of vintage. The memories. Vintage connects me to my past or to loved ones. When I drink from textured amber glasses, I think of my mom. The glasses were purchased at Marquardt’s Hardware Store in Vesta as a Mother’s Day gift for her sometime in the 1960s. They are a tactile reminder of Mom, who died in January 2022.
My Aunt Rachel crafted and gifted this to my mom in the 1960s. Now I have the tree and hang it in my home at Christmas. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted file photo)
The handcrafted pinecone Christmas tree, which my beloved Aunt Rachel made for my mom in the 1960s, now hangs in my home each December. In the dining room, within view when dining at George and Clara’s table.
Atop a vintage chest of drawers (one my dad and his older brother used as children) in my living room, six plastic angels gather as part of the Shiny Brite Christmas Angel Band. My brother Doug and I bought the tiny figurines for Mom at a hardware store in Echo. A Christmas gift sometime in the 1960s.
Vintage outdoor holiday decorations like this were for sale at “Vintage Christmas in the Barn.” (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo November 2024)
Vintage. Whether viewed inside or outside a barn in Cannon City, in my home or in a local shop, these goods of bygone days spark memories, ignite joy, remind me of the passage of time. Will my adult children or grandkids care about any of this after I’m gone? Maybe. But I expect they will wonder why Mom/Grandma kept all this old stuff. Perhaps they will choose a piece or two to keep as a memory of me. And then they will box up the rest, wondering who the heck David Cassidy is and why I needed all those vintage tablecloths and drinking glasses and what’s with this pinecone Christmas tree?
This particular vendor sold farm-themed toys. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
THEY PULL UP in their campers, pick-up trucks, converted buses and vans, often hauling trailers crammed with merchandise. They are traveling merchants, making the flea market circuit to pedal their goods.
A vendor with a patriotic flare. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Recently I attended the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Spring Flea Market at the club showgrounds south of Dundas. A second market, along with a tractor show, threshing demo and more, is held Labor Day weekend. Occasionally, I purchase something. But mostly, I look and photograph. There’s a lot to see.
Between the flea market and a consignment auction, there was lots to see and buy at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines showgrounds. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
From people-watching to shopping to searching for unusual finds to photograph, I find myself drawn to this open air market of second-hand, handcrafted and new merchandise. There are characters and stuff you’ve never seen before and may or may not need, and a vibe that feels of yesteryear.
A vendor’s penned dog. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Vendors bring their dogs, their finds and even bacon. As I wound among the booths, I smelled the scent of meat. A merchant stood next to his vintage camper frying bacon on a tabletop propane camper stove. I wanted to settle into his fold-up lawn chair and help myself to a slice or three, plus a cup of coffee and perhaps scrambled eggs. I settled instead for a bag of mini-donuts purchased from a food stand.
Mini tractors drew kids and collectors. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I mostly meander. And watch. I saw a preschool boy beeline straight for a table of toy tractors. Grandma followed. Plenty of farm toys are available in sizes from matchbox to larger. A farm kid’s dream store, for sure.
I seldom drink pop, but I do like this Pepsi sign. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Me? I don’t shop for anything specific. But I’m drawn to old, not replica (of which there are plenty) signs. This time a vintage Pepsi sign caught my eye. For $130, and perhaps it’s worth that much, it wouldn’t be mine.
Not the safest toy, but one I loved as a child of the 1960s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Nor would the Tinkertoys…because I probably have a cylinder of those stashed under the attic eaves. I loved those “let’s see if you can poke your siblings’ eyes out” with the wooden sticks toy.
I appreciated the box cover art more than the ice skates. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
If I still skated, I could have purchased matching skates for myself and Randy. But, nope, not gonna risk falling at my age. I’ve already broken two bones while wearing flip flops and shoes.
Beautiful hand embroidery. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Eagle sculpture. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I see car emblems as art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I really liked the eagle sculpture and the car emblems and the embroidered dish towel. They’re art to me and I do love art.
Head inside the town hall for more treasures. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
The most interesting finds of the morning came at my last stop, where a handmade painted sign posted outside the old Northfield Township Hall promised ANTIQUES, TOOLS, TOYS INSIDE. There I met Gary Kowalski, labeled “PICKER” on his business card. He’s from Montgomery, lives in a former funeral home and picks for goods from Minnesota to Michigan to Texas and in between.
This photo of soldiers sparked a conversation between me and picker Gary Kowalski. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
A singular framed black-and-white photo of three soldiers in full formal military uniform grabbed my attention. Their smiles, the way they leaned into each other, told me they were not only in service together, but also friends. That’s when Gary stepped in to say he found the photo, along with other WW II items, in Texas. He’s a veteran himself and guesses the three were on leave for some rest and relaxation, thus the happy pose.
The Legion jacket that prompted a conversation about my home area. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Gary had one more item that really made my day. An American Legion Post 38 jacket from Redwood Falls. It came from my home county. Yes, he’s been picking 20 miles to the east of my hometown. I’m always thrilled when someone, anyone, is familiar with a prairie place. Few people around this area hold any knowledge of communities in the southwestern corner of Minnesota. It’s a good place to pick, but others are better price-wise, Gary shared. He wasn’t sharing, though, specific picking sites. He doesn’t need the likes of me, who thinks picking would be a fun gig, competing for finds.
On a perfect spring morning, folks visit and shop at the flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
He needn’t worry. I’ll stick to attending flea markets, where I’ll watch for characters, shop, and scout for oddities among all that merchandise pulled from campers, pick-up trucks, converted buses, vans and trailers.
Vendors ringed the Rice County Historical Society museum during a recent flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
THEY’RE RATHER LIKE a treasure hunt. Flea markets and garage sales. And even though I don’t really need anymore “stuff” at this point in my life, I still enjoy perusing the goods at these local markets. Occasionally I find something—recently an over-sized world map for the grandson, two holiday cookie cutters and faith-themed art.
Flea markets often yield a bounty of belt buckles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Second-hand sales seem to be growing in popularity, perhaps because of the challenging economy and/or because of a renewed focus on reusing, recycling, repurposing and upcycling. As one vendor at the May 18 Rice County Historical Society Spring Flea Market told me, “I’m just trying to keep stuff out of the landfill.” That’s my kind of thinking.
Original and replica signs are another popular flea market offering. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Shop an event like the RCHS Flea Market, and you’ll find an array of merchandise hearkening from yesteryear, but also more current. A couple picked up a vintage side table for $5 with plans to repaint the sturdy wooden piece. Another found three new air filters for his van for $3. A woman snapped up a decorative wicker baby buggy. A guy grabbed a weed trimmer to replace his malfunctioning one.
Artisans also vended, selling their handcrafted creations like these wooden American flags. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Whatever shoppers were seeking on the grounds of the local historical society, they may have found it among the 65 vendors who sold not only second-hand, but also handcrafted creations. An eclectic mix of merchandise certainly defined the offerings.
Lawn tractors crafted by Duane Duffney from vintage sewing machines and other recycled parts. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Duane Duffney of Montgomery earned my star this year for the most unusual merch. I challenge myself to find oddities. And his handcrafted mini lawn tractors, made from vintage sewing machines and assorted used parts, caught my eyes. Massey Harris, John Deere, Oliver, Allis Chalmers, Ford, Farmall—pick your brand from Duffney’s tractor collection. He’s also started building mini decorative motorcycles.
Prepared to purchase or purchased. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
As I wandered among the flea market tables, I noticed some serious shoppers. A woman pulling a red wagon, either purchased or for purchases. A friend pulling a small carry-on suitcase. They came prepared to tote home plenty of goods.
I collect vintage drinking glasses, but passed on these beauties. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
A gas pump sign from back in the day. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I have a small collection of vintage cameras, but opted not to buy more. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Me? I looked and photographed. I’m drawn to vintage drinking glasses and signs. A collection of vintage cameras also drew my interest, momentarily tempting me.
A stash of polka albums. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
A display of polka albums caused me to pause. Minnesota style polkas by Gil Steil, including “Mountain Excursions Polka,” a title that seems decidedly non-Minnesotan to me. But at $1 per album, the price was right for polka appreciators.
There were plenty of toys for kids. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I spotted this glow bunny aside a vendor’s trailer. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Jars of marbles appear to me like works of art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
Toys, home décor, puzzles, clothing, tools, furniture, glassware…so much variety. Flea markets are like an outdoor emporium, a general store. Even a bit like an open air museum and an arts and crafts fair.
Shopping and mingling at the RCHS Flea Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
They’re also about community and connecting. I stopped often to chat with people I haven’t seen in awhile, and some I’ve seen recently. Conversation is good for the spirit and the soul. I value this aspect of flea markets. Conversation flows easily in a setting that feels casual, relaxed, inviting.
This weekend Rice County Steam & Gas Engines hosts its Spring Flea Market and Swap Meet from 8 am – 5 pm Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26, at its showgrounds just south of Dundas along Minnesota State Highway 3. It’s another opportunity to connect with folks while supporting a non-profit focused on the region’s agrarian roots. There’s also a consignment auction at 9 am Saturday and a tractor pull at 9 am Sunday. Admission is free as are rides on a miniature train.
An historic church and schoolhouse provide a backdrop for vendors at the RCHS Flea Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo May 2024)
I love this time of year when Minnesotans are emerging from their homes, when organizations are hosting community events, when people are coming together in the greening outdoors. It’s a fine time for a treasure hunt, whether the treasure is in merchandise or in conversation.
The White Barn Boutique, rural Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
IF NOT FOR A ROADSIDE SIGN noticed while on a fall color drive in northern Rice County, I wouldn’t have landed at The White Barn Boutique by Circle Lake. But the sign drew Randy and me to turn onto a narrow gravel road curving to a white barn and silo edged between trees. As Randy pulled our van onto a grassy parking space bordered by a colorful string of flags, I remarked, “Maybe they have antiques.”
An inviting scene on the second level, at the top of the stairs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Admittedly, the word “boutique” doesn’t appeal to most guys, so I appreciate that Randy was willing to stop. I was right. The White Barn includes plenty of antiques, collectibles and vintage, enough to hold the interest of anyone who appreciates treasures of yesteryear.
Flowers bloom aside the barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
The welcoming entry to the barn. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A scene staged under a tree. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Even before I opened the barn door adorned with a simple, seasonal wheat wreath, I felt welcomed, interested, impressed. An array of tables, chairs, flowers and other items outside hint at what’s inside.
Art can be found everywhere. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Most boutique owners, like Susie Morrison, the talent behind The White Barn, are not only business savvy but creative. I observed that inside and out in the artful display of merchandise, the vignettes, the purposeful groupings… When creatively staged, it’s easy to imagine a piece of furniture, an accessory, glassware, textiles, even a vintage phone or a collection of Hardy Boys books in your home.
Sunlight floods the upper level merchandise displays. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Merchandise packs this barn on two levels. While I began meandering through the cozy areas crafted in a once open space, Randy chatted it up with one of Susie’s sisters. Three of the Benjamin sisters were on-site at the seasonal fall boutique open Friday and Saturday and then next weekend, October 7 and 8, from 10 am – 5 pm at 3175 122nd Street West Faribault, two miles off Interstate 35 in the Millersburg area between Faribault and Northfield. December brings a holiday boutique here with other sales during the year.
Even a vintage card box makes for interesting art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
While engaging in conversation, Randy and I realized we’d been on this property decades ago for a company picnic and overnight camping when the sisters’ parents lived here. There was that sense of familiarity, yet time has a way of fading memories.
The colors and the tabletop phone remind me of the 1970s. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
An artfully draped vintage linen reminds me of Grandma. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
The vibrant floral on this chair caught my eye. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
In some ways, shopping at The White Barn is about memories, about nostalgia, about reclaiming the past. It’s like walking into Grandma’s house or into a scene from the 1970s…the remembering, the imagining, the desire to bring this all home.
Fall colors found in floral art. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Shopping here is an experience, an unexpected one for us on this autumn afternoon, if not for that roadside sign diverting us from emerging fall colors to a white barn along a rural road.
Directions for parking. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
TELL ME: Do you have a favorite seasonal boutique in your area? If yes, what draws you inside?
Shoppers peruse the RCHS Fall Flea Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
SATURDAY MORNING FOUND ME wandering among vendors at the Rice County Historical Society Fall Flea Market in Faribault. It was, as always, an enjoyable event, marked by conversations with friends I haven’t seen in awhile, conversations with vendors and reflecting on the past.
A handwritten sign along Second Avenue points to the flea market in the parking lot and on the grounds of the RCHS. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A RCHS Faribault sign provides the backdrop for a vendor’s book display themed primarily to Minnesota. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
One vendor was giving away these plastic bags from the now closed Farmer Seed & Nursery in Faribault. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Really, this is what local gatherings are all about for me. They’re about community and connecting, about embracing and appreciating this place I call home.
Beautiful bouquets from Erin’s Acre. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
I was especially delighted to find, among all the vendors of miscellaneous merchandise, several artists. That includes Erin Sellner Honken of Erin’s Acre at Honken Farms. Erin creates with flowers she grows, tends, harvests and arranges into stunning bouquets for CSA subscriptions and special events. With an abundance of flowers right now, she decided to do a pop-up sale at the flea market featuring $10 dahlia mixed bouquets.
The stunning “river” table by JS Woodcrafts. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Just down the way by the historic schoolhouse, I discovered Jeremy of JS Woodcrafts. It was his “river” table which drew my attention and admiration. If I could afford the $500 price tag, this maple top table with stones and pebbles epoxied in the middle like a river, would be mine. Love, love, love this work of art.
Spanky’s Woodshed art made from pallets. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
John “Spanky” St. Clair of Spanky’s Woodshed also specializes in woodcrafting. I learned that he uses pallets and aged barn wood to create. Anyone who recycles to create earns my praise.
A flower created by recycling spoons and forks. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
An eye-catching Louie Armstrong. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
I almost bought the pheasant paint-by-number, one of a trio of paintings. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
I found more art in spoon flowers, in a Louie Armstrong figure, in paint-by-number paintings, in an endless array of merchandise.
Playing a woodwind in A Fun Lil’ Band. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Propped against the barn near the band (seemingly listening), cut-outs of Ed and Frank, spokesmen for Bartles & Jaymes winecoolers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
The band that loves to make music. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
And while I walked I heard music rising from A Fun Lil’ Band in Rice County with a sign declaring WE JUST LOVE TO PLAY MUSIC!! Their music added an extra touch of joy to the morning market.
The RCHS was selling collector limited edition bottles of Fleck’s grape soda. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A view through a vendor’s booth featuring old toys. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A vintage toy tractor reminded me of the farm toys I played with as a child. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
This event is a fundraiser for the Rice County Historical Society. But history is also very much a part of the market in aged and vintage merchandise vended. I reminisced over old farm toys, a baby stroller, a yellow Pyrex mixing bowl. I picked up a few items, pondering whether I should buy, but, in the end, held steady in my determination not to acquire more stuff. I’m at that age…
This colorful character caught my attention. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Parked along Second Avenue at the RCHS Fall Flea Market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
I was pushed in a stroller like this, except the stroller was blue. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Instead, I collect with my camera, gathering images to tell a story, to share this market, to showcase the works of creatives, to express my appreciation for my community, this place I’ve called home for 40 years.
Photo cut-outs just inside the entrance. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
BARELY INSIDE THE GATES of the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show mid Friday morning, I boarded a train. It was an unexpected ride, this double loop around the tracks while straddling a slightly swaying model train car. I thought these free train rides were only for kids. Not so, the crew assured me.
The model train carries all ages. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
On a train car, a mini Massey-Harris the featured tractor. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Riding the rails. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
When I disembarked, a preschooler sandwiched between two adults for his turn on the rails.
Photographed on a tractor, show stickers. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
What a fun way to begin my four hours at the show, which continues through Sunday at the event grounds south of Dundas, which is south of Northfield. This 47th annual gathering is about “Preserving a Bit of Yesterday for Tomorrow.” And that’s exactly what you will find here. Old. Aged. Vintage. Snapshots into the past. Farming as it was done back in the day. Agriculture/farming/rural life center the show.
Massey-Harris tractors all in a row. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Conversation while leaning on a John Deere. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A tractor made by Cockshutt and marketed by Gambles. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Vintage tractors are the focus with a field of tractors on display. This year’s featured brand is Massey-Harris. But brands ranging from the well-known John Deere, Allis Chalmers, International Harvester…to the rare Gambles line the grassy grounds.
The threshing crew. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Other farm machinery is also on-site, including a threshing machine, typically threshing oats, but under repair during my visit.
The blacksmith at work. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
There’s simply so much to see here, so much equipment to take in, so many demonstrations to watch. I observed blacksmithing and sorghum pressing. There’s also syrup making, corn shelling, flour milling, lumber sawing… Not all were up and running yet Friday morning.
The 1912 farmhouse. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Sorghum towers in a field. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Delicious cookies made with sorghum. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
While demonstrations are a major draw, so are the aged farm buildings moved onto the grounds. Inside the 1912 Drentlaw farmhouse, my friend Ruth served cookies made with sorghum.
Pressing sorghum. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Across the way, two men fed sorghum stalks into a press, liquid streaming into a bucket.
A massive stove defines the farmhouse kitchen. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
As I walked upon the wood floors of the farmhouse, I felt immersed in the past. A wood-burning stove anchors the small kitchen where a water dipper rests in an enamelware bowl in the sink. Embroidered dish towels drape a drying rack.
The dining room table set for guests. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
In the dining room, with fine china set upon a lace-covered table, the morning breeze billowed lace curtains.
Rounding the corn crib… (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Outside the main house sits a summer kitchen with a corn crib and granary nearby. Replicating a farm site of yesteryear seems a goal. As a farm girl, I appreciate these efforts to preserve a bit of yesterday. Our Minnesota agrarian history needs to be shared at events like this which connect all ages to a way of life that is quickly vanishing.
My oddest find at this year’s flea market. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Even the flea market connects attendees to the past where old stuff mixes with crafts and an assortment of other merchandise. Every time here, I challenge myself to find oddities, weird whatever that makes me do a double take. This year’s vendors did not disappoint me.
A burger basket from the Northfield Knights of Columbus. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Nor did the food. Vendors offer an assortment of tasty food and beverages ranging from burgers and fries to Mexican food, milkshakes, lemonade, kettle corn, mini donuts and more. It’s all about food and conversation and watching the daily tractor parade at noon while seated at a picnic table in the Food Pavilion.
One of three musicians in the band Steam Machine performs Friday afternoon. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
Over in the poleshed style music building, I listened to the bluegrass band Steam Machine. A couple danced across the cement floor, nearby hay racks piled with oats bundles. I photographed, then attempted to cool down after too much time in the heat and humidity.
A gigantic ear of corn made of milk jugs. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
A poster promotes the 2023 Credit River show. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
I love how so many people care about our agricultural history. That includes the guys from the Credit River Antique Tractor Club who were selling raffle tickets for a 1952 Ford 8N tractor. Their annual show is set for July 14-16, 2023, in rural New Prague.
Teaching the younger generation about tractors. (Minnesota Prairie Roots copyrighted photo September 2022)
The Rice County folks will be back, too, in 2023, “Preserving a Bit of Yesterday for Tomorrow.” There will be a tractor parade, a Kids Pedal Pull, demonstrations, tractors galore and, oh, so much more at the Labor Day weekend show. Even train rides…
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