Friday’s Max’s Trader Days at the Allen County Fairgrounds. Over 1,800 flea market vendors will be selling dogs, guns, antiques, flea market items, tools, generators, jeans, Carhartt work clothes, dog food, gold and silver jewelry, hunting gear, candles, golf carts, furniture, animals, crafts and a lot more!
Richard Parrish | The Lima News
LIMA — Four days after the end of the Allen County Fair, the fairgrounds’ largest event of the year, comes what may be its second largest, Max’s Trader Days & Water Dog Races.
All of the fair items must be removed, and the grounds cleaned quickly, to enable a rapid turnaround for Trader Days.
Over 1,800 vendors travel from all over the country to set up their wares for sale, and for good reason. There’s a lot of money to be made, and lots of deals to be had, so savvy shoppers should be prepared to barter for their treasure.
Some vendors sell as a side job, others incorporate the event into their regular business year, while still others are retired and enjoy the atmosphere of fellow animal and bargain hunters.
Tony Boninsegna works full-time and is the director, producer, and editor of “Mountain Lodge Outdoors,” a hunting-themed cable television show. He and his team, comprised of people from Ohio and Kentucky film their hunting expeditions around the country, including coyotes, alligators, deer and turkeys.
He has rented the same spot (and for good reason) for the past seven years for this event, and business is booming selling guns, hoodies, trail cams and other goods.
When asked about his success just on the first day, Boninsegna replied, “With what’s in my left pocket right now, I could buy a pretty decent used car.”
He attributes his large profits to location and good weather.
“It’s amazing. The crowds turned out, the weather’s been great and there’s a lot of foot traffic and golf cart traffic.”
LouAnn Lause owns a concessions trailer business called Holt Concessions and has been coming to Trader Days for seven years. She sells lemonade shake-ups (a best seller so far), hamburgers, hot dogs, giant breaded tenderloins, chicken sandwiches, cheese sticks, pretzel bites, water, coffee and pop. She also prepares a breakfast composed of a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich with a side of tater tots.
“This is the single busiest week of my season,” Lause said, of her 18 annual events.
Lee Bannock has been driving 10 hours from Maryland’s eastern shore for the past 14 years, ever since the first Trader Days began. He says that his buying and selling is primarily to support his hunting pastime during retirement. He used to hunt coons with his coon hounds, but today he mostly hunts ducks and geese back home with his chocolate Labrador Retriever and Chesapeake Bay Retriever. He said he met some friends at Trader Days who have invited him to go hunting with them in Ohio.
He enjoys the water dog races and basically considers it a vacation each year.
“The dog races are phenomenal — watching the dogs work the way they’re supposed to work,” Bannock said.
Max’s Trader Days & Water Dog Races is exactly how Bannock envisioned spending his retirement: relaxing with food, beer, friends and man’s best friend.
Reach Shannon Bohle at 567-242-0399, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @Bohle_LimaNews.
