Flea market returns to St. Regis

What only comes once a year and smells like fresh hot dogs, hamburgers, kettle corn and cotton candy? The St. Regis Flea Market.

Vendors and shoppers from as far as Washington came to St. Regis this Memorial Day weekend for Montana’s largest flea market. Vendors sold anything from army surplus gear to kettle corn or handmade arts and crafts.

“It’s a really great event with a fun family atmosphere,” said vendor and face-painter Dale Archer.

Over 130 vendors began setting up their booths Friday night in the rain this year with the help of event coordinator Leslie Garber and some volunteers from St. Regis High School.

Garber said that the volunteers helped her get the event set up and in return they were fed breakfast from the OK Café and lunch from the grill run by the St. Regis Community Council.

Garber said that the event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the council and they usually raise nearly $20,000. She added that all of the money goes to the community in the form of scholarships for graduating seniors and other community projects.

This is the 32nd year for the St. Regis Flea Market. Garber said Ida Alexander started the event after her son, Bill Sansom, suggested it. The two were very involved in the St. Regis Community Council and the event has always been a fundraiser for the group. Parking was operated by the St. Regis High School Science Club, who got to keep all of the money they raised.

Garber said that all of the other work was done on a volunteer basis. Some of the cooks were working off court-mandated community service, but most of the work that went into making the event happen came from St. Regis Community Council members.

Garber said that they received food donations from The Huckleberry Patch Restaurant and Subway.

Several local politicians even got in on the act. Judy Stang, Mineral County Commissioner and candidate for Montana’s District 7 Senate seat, helped serve food Saturday. On Sunday, Republican Curtis Cochran and Democrat Duane Simons, two opposing candidates for Stang’s soon to be vacated commissioner seat, served food side by side.

Garber said that the event is a huge part of St. Regis culture and many people plan their Memorial Day weekend around it.

“It’s just something that’s been going for so long, that everyone hears all about the St. Regis Flea Market,” Garber said. She added that for many of the vendors, this flea market is the beginning of a circuit of flea markets that they travel to all summer long.

Garber said that the vendors paid $90 for three days or $40 per day to sell their wares at the St. Regis Flea Market and many of them did quite well. She said that two vendors had to leave Sunday afternoon because they sold all of their stock.

Scott Rosberg, from Yakima Valley, Wash., said that he and his family come to this event every year to camp out and spend time together in St. Regis.

Garber said that the St. Regis Campground was sold out the week before the event.

This year, the St. Regis Community Council sold T-shirts to help raise even more money. Garber said that even when the flea market was doused with rain Saturday evening shoppers were still out and about, checking out the vendors, while donning umbrellas and rain coats. “We always seem to have one day of rain at this event, but it doesn’t seem to stop anybody,” said airbrush-artist John Brown.

Brown is from Hauser Lake, Idaho, and has been coming to the event for around six years. He said that the St. Regis Flea Market was one of his favorite events to travel to. “This is probably one of the greatest shows around. People in Montana are just super-friendly and very western,” Brown said.

Brown said that he has developed friendships with many of the other vendors that come to the flea market and they help each other out in the business. He mentioned a caramel corn dealer who brought him a large bag of caramel corn that he shared with the other vendors around him.

“As long as I’m able, I’ll be back every year,” Brown said.

Brown has done airbrush art on government buildings and ranches. He said that some of his business comes from events like this when people see his work and ask them to come decorate buildings and trailers.

St. Regis local Mary Cheesman said that she has been a vendor at the event for around 21 years and she loves the event.

“It’s a lot of fun to do because you see the same people every year. It’s kind of like a school reunion, you get to see all of your old friends,” Cheesman said.

She said business was a little slower this year than in the past and she attributed it to higher gas prices. “A lot of people don’t travel that much anymore,” Cheesman said.

The Cabin Fever Quilt Guild had a booth at the market to sell raffle tickets for a quilt entitled Montana Rancher. Gloria Hermes said that around 10 people worked on the quilt, which they plan to raffle off to pay for scholarships for each school in Mineral County. Garber said that while she had no way of knowing exactly how many people showed up to the event, she was very pleased with the turnout and thought that the St. Regis Community Council would easily raise enough money during the event.