Time to shop: Here’s your guide to fall craft, arts and vintage markets in Kansas

The arts and crafts show season is a sign that fall is here. Hop in the car and head out for a full day of picking at barn sales, vintage markets, craft fairs, even entire highways of organized treasure hunting.

Sadie Camac is one of those pickers. So much so that her barn was filling up with her purchases.

“So I decided I’d just have a little garage sale, but nobody came,” said Camac, who teaches art in the Burden school district. “I thought maybe I’d get more people to come shop if I invited other sellers to join in, and I threw the idea out on Facebook. It’s just kept growing ever since.”

Her fifth Vintage Villa Fall Barn Sale is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25 at 4446 SW 210th Street near Douglass, less than 30 miles from east Wichita. The site is her family’s 10-acre hobby farm where she also operates a wedding and event venue and offers vintage rental items for special events and photo shoots.

She charges $5 per carload for parking. Entry into the sale is free. In 2020, she had to expand the parking area to accommodate nearly 2,500 people who came to shop, enjoy live music and entertainment, sip in the beer garden, participate in free kids activities and purchase from visiting food trucks.

Other changes she made in 2020 that will carry over this year: expanded walkways, hand sanitizing stations and signs encouraging mask wearing and distancing.

Some of the 100 vendors set up inside the 1800s-era barn and a newer building, but most are at booths outside with plenty of trees providing shade. Camac hand selects vendors and keeps a focus on repurposed, vintage and antique wares, limiting direct sales to six booth spaces.

Preview participating merchants at facebook.com/thevintagevillabarnsale. Camac sold out months ago of 150 VIP tickets she offered. For $25, ticket holders can shop Friday night before the sale opens to the public and also enjoy dinner and two drinks from the beer garden.

The accompanying list — by no means comprehensive — proves that you can spend every weekend this month and next shopping your way through the region. Event details change frequently during the pandemic; check websites and social media for updated details of any event you plan to attend.

Wichita area arts and crafts events

Sept. 18, Outdoor Vintage Market, 4535 E. 61st, Kechi, free, facebook.com/junkinthetrunkemporium. Junk in the Trunk Emporium is coordinating antique and vintage vendors for a fall market during the Kechi Kite Festival.

Sept. 18-19, Oct. 16-17, Nov. 20-21 & Dec. 18-19, Wichita Flea Market, Mulvane, $3 ages 13 and older or $5 for weekend entry, wichitafleamarket.biz. Monthly events at the Kansas Star Casino arena feature booths selling antiques, crafts, vintage items.

Oct. 1-3, Vintage Market Days, Wichita Sports Forum, 2668 N. Greenwich Ct., $10 Fri-Sat, $5 Sun ages 12 & older, vintagemarketdays.com/market/wichita. Vintage, architectural salvage and repurposed finds, plus live music and food trucks.

Oct. 17, Unique Antique Market, Sedgwick County Extension Center, 7001 W. 21st, free, facebook.com/unique.antique.market. Vintage and antique vendors.

Nov. 6, 47th annual Church of the Magdalen Fall Arts & Crafts Bazaar, 12626 E. 21st St. N., $5 ages 6 and older, facebook.com/MagdalenBazaar. More than 100 craft and food vendors (no commercial products allowed).

Regional arts and crafts events

Sept. 11, Great American Market, Emporia, free, emporiamainstreet.com/events/great-american-market. A downtown treasure market with vendors set up on Commercial Street peddling clothes, antiques, collectibles, food and more.

Sept. 12, 42nd annual Fall Arts & Crafts Festival, Lawrence, free, lprd.org/specialevents/artsandcrafts. The festival is organized by the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department in the city’s South Park.

Sept. 16-18, 48th annual Autumn Daze Arts, Crafts & Music Festival, Branson, Mo., free, downtownbranson.org. More than 100 craft vendors and direct sale vendors across the country set up in historic downtown Branson, along with vendor demonstrations, food trucks and sidewalk sales from local businesses.

Sept. 17-19, 16th annual U.S. Highway 36 Treasure Hunt, various locations, free, ushwy36.com/treasure-hunt. Travel along Kansas’ 400 miles of Highway 36 to treasure hunt at estate yard sales.

Sept. 18-19, 43rd annual Art in the Park and Craft Show, Marion, free, marionparksandrec.com. Held the same day as the Hillsboro fair and just 8 miles east, this event offers 150 vendors selling handcrafted items ranging from ceramics to woodcrafts, as well as direct sales.

Sept. 18, 52nd annual Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair, Hillsboro, free, hillsboroartsandcraftsfair.org. Juried festival covers a six-block area in downtown Hillsboro with artists and craftsmen presenting original, handmade items, vintage and uniquely re-purposed items, and handmade antique reproductions.

Sept. 18, 45th annual Friends of Shawnee Town Arts & Crafts Fair & Fall Festival, Topeka, $1 entry, shawneetown.org. Supporting the Shawnee Town 1929 historical museum, this event has vendors selling handmade, homemade and repurposed items, plus live music, kids activities and food.

Sept. 18-19, Art in the Park, Lawrence, free, lawrenceartguild.org/art_in_the_park.html. Peruse originals of fine art and fine craft by area artists and craftspeople at this Lawrence Art Guild fundraiser in South Park.

Sept. 18-19, 23rd annual Cider Days on Historic Walnut Street, Springfield, Mo., $5 ages 11 and older, facebook.com/CiderDays. Regional artists and crafters, performance stages, food and apple cider set up in this National Historic District of downtown Springfield. Attendance is limited and timed this year for distancing purposes.

Sept. 24-Oct. 30, Harvest Festival featuring Craft Days, Branson, Mo., admission starting at $74, silverdollarcity.com. Silver Dollar City’s fall festival has visiting craftsmen and juried artisans selling and demonstrating during the day and the non-frightful Pumpkins in the City illuminated displays in the evening, in addition to its usual mix of rides and live entertainment.

Sept. 24-25, Fabulous Finds on Highway 99, various locations, free, facebook.com/findson99. Bargain shopping, treasure hunting and picking along 233 miles of Highway 99 in Kansas at garage sales, flea markets, downtown business specials and other types of sales.

Sept. 25, 5th annual Vintage Villa Fall Barn Sale, 4 miles east of Douglass, $5 per carload, facebook.com/thevintagevillabarnsale. About 100 vendors selling repurposed, vintage and direct sales merchandise, plus live music, food trucks and a beer garden.

Sept. 25, Funky Flea Outdoor Flea Market, Hutchinson, free, facebook.com/pg/funkyjunkantiques. Outdoor flea market featuring antique, retro, vintage, artistic and food vendors.

Sept. 25, Canton Fall Market, Canton, free, http://facebook.com/cantonfleamarkets. Indoor and outdoor vendors selling vintage, antique, handcrafted, along with upcycled and boutique items at the McPherson County Fairgrounds.

Sept. 25, 49th annual Whimmydiddle Arts and Crafts Fair, Scott City, free, whimmydiddle.org. At one of the largest crafts shows in western Kansas, vendors sell everything from fine art to original crafts in Scott City Park.

Sept. 25, Hiawatha Maple Leaf Festival & Heritage Days, Hiawatha, free, facebook.com/hiawathamapleleaffestival. The day-long festivities include craft vendors set up around the perimeter of the courthouse square.

Sept. 25-26, 40th annual Cider Days Fall Festival, Topeka, $8 ages 13 & older (discounts online), topekaciderdays.com. About 175 makers, creators, artisans and pickers with booths at Stormont Vail Events Center, along with food and live entertainment.

Sept. 25-26, Fair Grove Heritage Reunion, Fair Grove, Mo., free, fg-historical.org. Several hundred vendors gather for this craft fair at a historical grist mill 14 miles north of Springfield.

Sept. 25-26 & Oct. 2-3, 42nd annual Ciderfest & Craft Fair, Louisburg, free, louisburgcidermill.com/ciderfest. An array of crafter booths is part of the festivities at the Louisburg Cider Mill.

Oct. 1-2, Kansas Barn Sale, McPherson Lakeside Parks, $7 ages 13 & older early bird shopping on Friday evening and all day Saturday, $5 Saturday only, facebook.com/kansasbarnsale. 100 vendor spaces at McPherson’s Lakeside Park filled with antiques, vintage, repurposed, handmade or artisan goods.

Oct. 1-3, 47th annual Ozark Craft Fair, Ozark, Mo., free, ozarkcraftfair.com. Hundreds of vendors from around the country selling original arts and crafts at Finley River Park.

Oct. 2, 47th annual Art in the Park, Winfield, $2 suggested donation to support Winfield Arts & Humanities Council, winfieldarts.org. Juried event with fine art and fine crafts exhibitors at Island Park.

Oct. 2, 20th annual Fall into the Holidaze Craft & Antique Show, Winfield, free, facebook.com/fallintotheholidaze. Held the same day as Art in the Park, this event at Winfield Fairgrounds has vendors selling crafts, antiques, baked goods and direct sales.

Oct. 8-9, 47th annual Pumpkin Patch Arts and Crafts Fair, Manhattan, free, pumpkinpatchmhk.square.site. Browse booths of homemade, handmade and refurbished items from local makers at the Riley County Fair Grounds.

Oct. 8-10, 55th annual Apple Butter Makin’ Days, Mt. Vernon, Mo., free, mtvchamber.com. Nearly 500 booths of handmade crafts are part of this large festival in southwest Missouri.

Oct. 9, Rose Hill Market & Craft Fair, Rose Hill, $2, rosehillfallfestival.com. The annual Rose Hill Fall Festival includes a Saturday craft fair in the Multipurpose Building. Cost is for the festival button, on sale at the door.

Oct. 9, Keriel Dairy Farm Fall Barn Sale, Whitewater, $5 per carload, facebook.com/KerielDairy. About 40 vendors set up in and around the barn on this working dairy farm to sell crafts, antiques, lunch and cupcakes.

Oct. 9, Wellington Fall Festival Art & Craft Fair, Wellington, wellingtonkschamber.com. Vendors from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. plus a full day of other festival activities.

Oct. 9-10, 50th annual Sugar Mound Arts & Crafts Festival, Mound City, free, sugarmoundartscrafts.com. Hundreds of booths selling only handcrafted arts and crafts from local, regional and national artists.

Oct. 14-17, War Eagle Fair, War Eagle Mill Craft Fair and the Sharps’ Show, Hindsville, Ark., $5 parking per vehicle, wareaglefair.com. Shop nearly 250 arts and crafts booths among these three events held on and around the mill property in northwest Arkansas.

Oct. 16-17, Maple Leaf Festival, Baldwin City, free, mapleleaffestival.com. Hundreds of indoor and outdoor craft booths are set up during this community celebration.

Nov. 13, Church of the Holy Spirit Spirit Bazaar, 18218 W. Highway 54 Goddard, $2 ages 13 and older, facebook.com/holyspiritwichita. More than 70 craft and food vendors.

This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 4:00 AM.