The fishing flea market returns home
Things move.
It’s just a part of life.
Keeping with that mentality, it should be no surprise that the Great Bridge Fisherman’s Association is coming home to Chesapeake.
Next spring’s market will be held on Saturday, March 13, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in the Tidewater Community College parking garage located at the Dominion Boulevard end of Cedar Road.
Admission is $5, free for kids under 12 with a paying adult, and $10 for vendors. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.
The rods, reels, lures, fishing art and displays by several private and state organizations will again be the focus.
The event returns to Chesapeake after a three-year stint at the Virginia Beach Field House.
Event founder Butch Pierce said the City of Chesapeake - including Mayor Rick West and the Department of Parks and Recreation - made their plays to bring the market back home.
“Fishing is in our DNA,” West said. “It’s who we are as a city.
“This is a healthy thing.”
West said he makes a point of stopping by the flea market, in case, you know, he needs a few things.
He’s not alone, as witnessed by groups of folks leaving with full bags, handfuls of rods and anything else that gets their attention.
The GBFA flea market got a humble start at the Hickory Ruritan Club.
And while the event has maintained an air for the basics, the first year quickly morphed into something much bigger.
The flea market grew by leaps and bounds, and the GBFA even took on the task of selling the fishing gear of those no longer in need of the equipment.
And the most important aspect of it all is that funds raised help the GBFA with scholarships, senior fishing trips and so much more.
If the flea market is a community thing, it is greatly mirrored by the community-minded work of its owners.
The new location will be different, but much like the early days in Hickory, it will quickly become something special.
Staged on one floor of the parking garage, it will provide ample parking and a shield from any weather conditions.
“We’ve got enough room that vendors will get twice the space for the same price,” Pierce said. “We’ve always wanted to make this thing special and important for a lot of folks.
“Coming back to Chesapeake will be a big part of that.”
So mark your calendars, raid the money hidden in your sock drawer and get ready for a few hours of fellowship, fish talk and most likely, a whole lot of buying.
