A Sunny Sunday Redeems A Soggy Saturday At Fairfield Hills Flea Market

By Kaaren Valenta

The skies opened and the heavens poured onto the Congregational Church’s flea market at Fairfield Hills last Saturday, but sunny skies and low humidity drew vendors and shoppers out on Sunday to the two-day event.

Like many of the tag sale vendors, Kathy and Joe Joy of Sandy Hook said the event was a good opportunity to divest themselves of years of accumulated household goods.

“We saved this stuff for our kids, and when it came time to offer it to them, guess what? They didn’t want it,” Mrs Joy said on Sunday. “At least we have a beautiful day to try to sell it.”

Elizabeth Hunt had made the trip from Manhattan to Newtown to sell marionettes. The stringed puppets hung on racks, enticing children and shoppers to stop and play.

“I usually do festivals, but a friend saw this event advertised on the Internet so I thought I’d give it a try,” Ms Hunt said. “It’s a learning experience for me.”

Marcia DaSilva of Roxbury came with her husband, Eric, looking for a good buy.

“I found this little painted pot and bought it for $1,” she said. “I can’t go wrong with that.”

Neighbors Debbie Murlock and Carol Rau-Hewitt got a booth together that offered everything from finely woven scarves to a yellow bathroom sink.

“She’s a collector and I’m a handweaver,” Ms Rau-Hewitt explained. “But we both like to read the same things — sci-fi and gardening.”

Some vendors, like the Greyhound Rescue and Rehabilitation group, came on a mission. The greyhound rescue group was looking for people to adopt the dogs that are no longer raced by the tracks after the racing season.

“The track in Bridgeport usually races 400 dogs a season,” George Fox said. “They take the best down south for the races there but they may have 150 to 300 left. We work with them to try to place the dogs. They make wonderful pets.”