You Can Get Anything You Want At Prairie Du Chien's Flea Market

Rendezvous time at Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin brings it all out; buck skinners, frontiersmen, soldiers, natives and tons of spectators. You can watch demonstrations of frontier life from back in the 1700s. You may also buy things from people dressed in puffy shirts, coonskin hats and loin cloths. Beware; there are some sights to be avoided if you want to keep your eyes intact. Mine are still recovering from the solar eclipse from a few weeks ago.

Outside of the Rendezvous parameter are scores of flea market vendors from all over the country. They sell pretty much anything you want - food, drinks, clothes, books, antiques, records, car parts, jewelry, and even gator heads. Many vendors tell stories of how they got into this business first as collectors then later as dealers.

Bearded hat guy watched over his eight tables filled with small antique and collectible items. His choice of truck was a gray hearse. He talked of being able to pack a lot inside the long vehicle which was purchased cheap. Over the three day flea market period he slept outside on the ground. In the mornings the hardness of the dry ground bothered his back. He thought about sleeping in the hearse during his last night there.

Another vendor displayed various car parts and tools from long ago. Colorful VW bug fenders drew much attention but no sales - maybe his pricing was too high.

And lastly the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man seemed quite subdued as we passed by. No doubt Gozer was plotting ways to spring to life and walk through the flea market as a giant 100 foot marshmallow fellow terrifying all – not unlike loin cloth man. My eyes!