At 8:45 a.m. Saturday, Catina Hayden of Depot Road was walking briskly along Route 111 under a stylish straw hat and carrying a colorful shopping bag. Around 9 a.m. she turned onto the Bromfield School driveway and stopped at a table where she was welcomed by efficient greeters, hand-stampers, attendance-counters, and dispensers of dog treats before gaining entrance to the 49th annual Harvard Flea Market.
Organizers and vendors had been setting up on the field in front of the library and Bromfield since 5:30 a.m. By 9 a.m. 464 people had already passed through the four gates before Hayden, and by the end of the day, she was one of 3,727 people who had attended the event. Pam Erdos, Flea Market Committee member, said student assistants collected demographic information that indicated attendance of families with young children and college students was lower than in previous years. And while all 181 booths had been sold, at least 8 empty spaces indicated vendors who didn’t show up.
Fran and Rick Maiore sell pies as part of the Congregational Church’s Apple Festival.
Former Bromfield language teacher MJ Castro-Castellanos serves some authentic Spanish cuisine.
(Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
For many people, the Flea Market was one of the rare outings in a crowd they had attended during the pandemic. But the open air was fresh and clear. The uncrowded aisles were pleasantly bustling with masked and unmasked people. The vendors were friendly and enjoyed talking about their wares. Dogs were leashed, one was tucked inside a jacket, and all were well behaved. A bald eagle felt comfortable enough to swoop in and perch at the very top of a pine tree, surveying the scene for 20 minutes or so while people took pictures.
Old chairs, footstools, toys, dolls, dollhouse furniture, glassware, dishes, shoes, clothes, textiles, tools, bridles, riding gear, fishing gear, silverware, sharp knives, rugs, vintage jewelry, knickknacks—all looking for renewed usefulness—begged for close inspection. As two examples of local entrepreneurship, the teenage Bykhovsky brothers of Peninsula Road displayed a diverse collection of used bikes, and Sandra Gomez of Stow Road sold her handmade soap.
Informational offerings were also on display. Kimberly S. Manning, representing the pediatric environmental unit of Boston Children’s Hospital, was prepared with handouts and discussion on topics that affect children’s health, such as lead poisoning, PFAS, vaping, environmental justice, and asthma. Over at the Pond Road end of the field, members of the Harvard Climate Initiative and the Friends of the Council on Aging were eager to remind citizens about warrant articles before Town Meeting. Arm in Arm had copies of “On Juneteenth,” the townwide book read. The Harvard PTO had a booth along the Bromfield driveway.
Rick and Fran Maiore were selling the Congregational Church’s homemade apple pies, declaring themselves the “satellite operation” of the Common venue, where soup, whole pies, pie slices, and accompaniments of cheese and ice cream were sold. Tables and chairs spread out under the trees offered a pleasant spot to enjoy the treats with neighbors and friends.
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, never one to miss a gathering of people, sat down and talked with Lena Aloise, a seventh-grader at Bromfield. Aloise is active in the Green Team, a school club whose website states that it “strives to help our school and community become more environmentally friendly.”
Under a large white tent, the Friends of the Harvard Public Library conducted its used book sale. Chris Frechette reported that more than the usual number of books had been donated. By the end of the day, book sale volunteer Barbara Weiss was handing out grocery bags to fill for $5. Any protestations of having too many books already were met with “It isn’t hoarding if it’s books!”
The food vendors ran out of many of their offerings. A local business, Muddy Water Coffee Roasters, was, predictably, doing a brisk business out of its coffee truck (outfitted with an espresso machine) early in the day. Owner and roaster Tim Van Sipe pointed out that bags of their roasted beans are sold at Carlson Orchards for those who were disappointed after they ran out. To their traditional menu of burgers and hotdogs, this year, the Lions Club added funnel cake, a fried dough confection that proved so popular a resupply run was necessary. Carol Lee Tonge, co-chair of the food committee, reported that they were thrilled with their receipts. Retired Bromfield science teacher Deb Pierce took a shift called “running and wrapping.”
The Thai food crew sent up a cheer at the end of the day after their receipts were counted, so it was evident they were pleased. At the end of the line of food vendors, the paella prepared by retired Bromfield Spanish and French teacher of 35 years MJ Castro Castellanos and her Spanish-born husband sold out immediately. One customer said that after missing out two years in a row, he had stationed himself at the traditional paella pan the minute the cooking began. By the time the cooking was finished, a long line of customers had formed behind him.
Green Team students worked throughout the day with Stu Sklar on cleanup and recycling detail. Erdos said, “Uniformly, all noted how fabulous and helpful the students were.” Sklar also said the DPW crews were prompt in picking up the garbage bags so trash did not pile up.
Current treasurer of the Harvard League of Women Voters Paul Green reported that the League and the Harvard Schools Trust, sponsors of the Flea Market, can expect a substantial return on their efforts, although not quite as much as in pre-COVID-19 years.
Green added: “As I was helping [Flea Market co-chair] Steve Finnegan retrieve stakes, we asked each vendor whether they were successful this year. One vendor said it was her best year ever. Many vendors said they did a good or great business. All we spoke with said they would return next year, except for a couple of booths which I think were run by people just trying to clear out their attics, and they were happy that they got rid of a lot of their stuff.”
Bromfield grad James O’Shea catches up with Pam Erdos, whose daughter was a classmate of O’Shea.
