WATERLOO, Neb. (KMTV) — This weekend and next weekend, collectors, art lovers and anyone eager to get outside have the opportunity to do so at Junkstock in Waterloo.
For nearly a decade, Sycamore Farms has invited vintage lovers to explore local vendors' work at Junkstock. Typically, the events take place in both the spring and the fall, but because of COVID-19, organizers had to change their plans
"We ended up doing kind of an online show this spring," said Danielle Schlegelmilch, spokesperson of the event. "A lot of vendors do have their items available online. So we tried our first online show to help people continue to get some business because it was rough. A lot of small businesses didn't have a way to make money."
But now, with the Governor Ricketts lifting some of those social gathering restrictions, the festival is eager to welcome back patrons and its 180 vendors for Junkstock Harvest Edition.
Here, guests can find repurposed items, artwork, homemade goods and tasty food. There's even a tinker table for kids to try their hand at crafting.
"We've seen a lot of families come out- all ages," Schlegelmilch. "It's been great to have people come out and just to have fun again. I know it's not completely normal, but it seems pretty close to it."
The festival is offering sanitizing stations and recommending visitors wear masks, but being outside changed things for Shannon and Aiden Mulchay.
"We did bring a mask, because we didn't know if it was required, but we don't like wearing them," Shannon explained. "He [Aiden] has to wear them at school, and I have to wear on at work, so we thought that just being outside wouldn't be too much of an issue."
The festival organizers say they've overcome many obstacles in the past, and feel they have been able to put on a safe, fun event for the community.
"We're definitely kind of seasoned at dealing with all kinds of weather- floods, we had a blizzard one year, but a pandemic is a new one for us this year," Schlegelmilch. "We're hoping for 2021 will be nice and boring an regular."
In order to help with social distancing and give vendors another chance to make some money, the festival is extending into a second weekend.
Hours:
EARLY BIRD* HOURS + FRIDAY 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
GENERAL ADMISSION + FRIDAY 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM
GENERAL ADMISSION + SATURDAY 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
GENERAL ADMISSION + SUNDAY 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
*EARLY BIRD TICKET REQUIRED.
You can purchase tickets here.
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