June 2024. 

Get ready for a berry good time at the Vaile Mansion Strawberry Festival

Independence’s Vaile Mansion will be the site of summer fun when the mansion hosts its annual Strawberry Festival on
June 1.

Shop for crafts and antiques from vendors on site, listen to live musical entertainment, and take your kids by the festival’s children’s corner. Of course, the highlight of the event – plentiful baskets of strawberries, strawberry shortcake and strawberry ice cream – will allow visitors to savor the sweetest tastes of summer.

Admission to the festival is free, and the festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, call Vaile Mansion at 816-325-7430 or visit www.vailemansion.org.

June 2024. 

Merchant Square packs June with variety of events

Merchant Square Antique Marketplace in Independence is keeping its calendar full this month with events you won’t want to miss.

June kicks off with a red, white, and blue market pop-up June 1-2, a warmup to the Fourth of July holiday, featuring patriotic Americana and other vintage treasures. A classic car show will start off the fun on June 1. And you can hunt for even more patriotic slices of life from yesteryear at Merchant Square’s Americana vintage market, June 6-9.

If those deals aren’t enough, how about storewide bargains? Merchant Square will welcome the middle of June with a storewide sale June 14-16. Any and all booklovers are welcome to the store on June 22 for a local authors meet-and-greet, during which you can meet the movers and shakers of Independence’s literary scene and browse their published works.
Finally, the month will conclude with a vintage clothing pop-up. Shop for some funky threads and wear your love of vintage goods on your sleeve.

While you’re at Merchant Square, don’t forget to visit the store’s most recent addition, the American Way Market Café, featuring BBQ, locally grown produce, locally raised meats and dairy, and bread baked daily in house.

For more information, call 480-792-1919 or visit www.merchantsquarevintage.com.

June 2024. 

Kick it old school with this upcoming
vintage market

The Old School Vintage Market returns to South Central Kansas, with the outdoor market being offered in Iuka on June 8. The market will include boutique offerings, handmade crafts, antique furniture, candles, home décor, and even specialty food items, from freeze-dried candies to breads to pickles.

Luke and Caitlin Laha, the founders of the annual event, describe themselves as having “a passion for (the) old, dingy, unique, and homemade. They bought an 1880 farmhouse a few years ago, restoring it and combining its original features with “modern farmhouse fare.”

“We enjoy treasure hunting for items that fit the era of the house while repurposing things to be functional for our family,” their website reads.

For more information, visit www.oldschoolvintagemarket.com.

May 2024. 

Find your next treasure at Brownville Spring Flea Market

Now in its 66th year, the Brownville Spring Flea Market will delight a new generation of antique enthusiasts when it returns to town May 25-27, at Main Street and the Historic Depot in Brownville.

Up for grabs will be antiques, collectibles, crafts, and hand-made art from more than 250 vendors. Admission and parking are free, and there are plenty of nearby motels and campgrounds if you want to make an entire weekend of your visit.

The event is sponsored by the Brownville Historical Society. For more information, call 402-825-6001 or visit www.brownvillehistoricalsociety.com.

May 2024. 

Get crafty on the Square in Garnett

Enjoy some small-town hospitality (and homemade crafts, of course) in downtown Garnett during the 2024 Square Fair on May 11.

Vendors will be set up on the Anderson County Courthouse lawn, selling wares from across the state. Don’t forget to grab a bite at one of the many food vendors on site as well.

For more information, visit garnettbpw.com/square-fair.

May 2024. 

Summer flea markets begin May 11 at Jesse James & Rusty Chandelier

Jesse James Antique Mall and The Rusty Chandelier in St. Joseph are giving antique lovers the opportunity to work on their tan while doing a little shopping.

The stores will host their parking lot flea markets on May 11, June 22, Aug. 24, and Sept. 28. More than 30 dealers will be on site, and shoppers can feed their hunger with food trucks on site. For vendor information and reserve space, call 816-676-0662 or e-mail manager@rustychandelier.com.