Jean says, “I’m a flea-market type person. Getting out in the sunshine and being with like-minded people lifts my spirits.
“Shoppers were jolly waling around, with and without masks. I had my two vaccinations, so I mingled without fear.”
By 10:30 am at the North End, there were no visible parking spaces, and parkers were circling. There were challenges for parallel parkers, but if they were New Yorkers—no problem.
Jean returned at 11:00 am for a hot dog and she found the streets to be “jamming” —-a big mob scene at the Flea Market; mostly no-maskers.
From Jean Bredin:
DORIS DAY:
Love the OG big markets! – The people, the merchandise, the food. We usually go to both each year or at least one.
Tom: Understand, but how about one each year. Most shore towns have 0-1 mega event aside from the obligatory beach scene. And then have the CMA cut back as a courtesy to the residents here and maybe dump all other mega-shows.
Then institute more small-town programs like the ones we started: OG Film Festival, Town-Wide Yard Sale, street musicians including classical,jazz and kids, movie classics, Woman’s Club activity, secular lectures and discussions, chess tournaments, cooking classes, Shore Dance recitals,People’s Garden tour,poetry readings to honor Walt Whitman, and bring back the Civil War re-enactments, and more.
Thanks JW: You win this week’s phrase of the week.. “Tired and Tawdry” sums it all up and would be a great name for a protest banner as we picket the Scarlet Fliers home base in Neptune (the town not the planet,)
Made the big mistake of taking my car out of the Grove this morning. Upon my return at about 11:30 AM, even spaces at the south end were hard to come by. Encountered a few “testy” drivers and oblivious pedestrians on the south end–two in particular caused me to break hard and give a gentle tap of the horn to announce my car’s presence. I was rewarded with an F-bomb curse and “Shut up” message. Glad to have finally found an open space on Inskip.
This whole flea market thing is so tired and tawdry.