Crafty Flea Market: Saturday event helps NIE, Lake Antoine PP

ARTIST JOE SANTI of Iron Mountain shows off some of the paintings he had available at the 2022 Crafty Flea Market at Lake Antoine Campgrounds and Park in Iron Mountain. Santi will be back in site 6 again for the 2023 event, set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. (Jennifer Flynn/Daily News photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN — The sixth-ever Crafty Flea Market will offer an outdoor shopping venue for a wide variety of crafts, homemade goods and other items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Lake Antoine Campground and Park in Iron Mountain.
This outdoor, open-air setting is among the largest in the Upper Peninsula since it began in 2018. The community support for this event has always been outstanding, organizers said.
“We have a little bit of everything for sale, from antiques to up-cycled items, kettle corn to a quarter-pound hotdog wrapped in bacon and deep fried. Handmade crafts to direct-sale companies, maple syrup to salsa. New this year is freeze-dried candy. Come on out and spend the day with us,” said Jennifer Flynn, circulation manager for The Daily News.
The Crafty Flea Market is a combined fundraising effort by The Daily News’ Newspapers in Education, or NIE, and Lake Antoine Park Partners that benefits both non-profit programs. NIE provides area schools with newspapers that assist teachers and other educators. LAPP creates and promotes activities at Lake Antoine as well as designs plans to beautify the park, campgrounds and boat launch areas.
“I was pleased to learn that once again this year the event quickly sold out,” said Doni-Mae Rauch, vice president of Lake Antoine Park Partners.
Some of the merchandise to be available includes handcrafted wood products, handmade soaps, ceramics, antiques, jewelry, knitted and crocheted items, home decor, metal works and wire art, fresh farm produce, jams, salsa, birdhouses, bird feeders, artworks, honey and maple syrup, along with representatives for direct-sales companies such as Doterra Essential Oils and Mary Kay.
Also, information will be available from these non-profits: A Light at the Inn, Friends of the Braumart, OSF Hospice and Grief Support, and Girl Scouts.
Amber Grassinger of the Dickinson-Iron Health Department will have a lactation station at site 18a, next to the restrooms. A Crafty Flea and Lake Antoine Park Partners information booth will be on the grounds Saturday in site 18.
The interior roads of the campground will be closed to motorized traffic to become a pedestrian walkway so handicapped visitors and those with baby strollers can easily access the booths. Campground host Duane Lundamo also plans to have golf cart transportation for the handicapped from the special parking area to the start of the walkway.
Strong Tower Church will once again provide concessions, this year in sites 20 and 21. They plan to serve burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, brats, pulled pork, fries, cheese curds, onion tanglers and the quarter-pound “big dog” that is wrapped in bacon and deep fried. New this year will be walking hot apple pies. They will also have water and pop.
A complete list of crafters and vendors can be seen in an ad on page 6-B. For more information, contact Flynn at 906-774-2772, ext. 218.
Saturday’s event will go on rain or shine, organizers said.
Admission is a $2 donation per person, with no charge for ages 10 and younger, at the main entrance at N3393 Quinnesec-Lake Antoine Road.
The Dickinson County Board has approved plans for new showers and bathrooms in the park to be ready for the 2024 camping season.