The Big Sandy Mountaineer -

The 51st annual Loma Flea Market is coming up on Saturday, April 6th from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Loma Memorial Hall. The event is the major fundraiser for the upkeep of the hall and to cover bills associated with the facility's use. This year will see the return of the gun show, excellent options for lunch or snacks, and other vendors selling a range of wares from antiques to Jewelry, to crafts, and more. There is no charge for admission to the hall for the event.

Terry McKeever, who has been involved with running the hall for 40 years, explained, "We have an amazing amount of people come through the door. They come from quite a ways away. We don't charge admission. It's really easy to come in for a real quick look, because we don't charge anything."

Terry explained that they have been progressively adding to the event, including the gun show elements over the last few years. Though they have always had participants who sold guns and knives, the addition of the gun show elements have expanded the offerings dramatically. In addition, the gun show has helped to draw larger and larger crowds. The event also has a large number of merchants who have been returning to the market for years.

One of the highlights of the Loma Market is the food offering. As a frequent attendee, I will attest to the quality of the fare, which is quite good. Concessions will be on sale all day. Terry explained that they are offering pulled pork sandwiches, brownies, maples bars in the morning, pulled pork parfaits, and more. The pulled pork has been smoked for the last several years by Terry and, his son, Kendrick. It has been quite a hit.

McKeever explained why the hall is unique and why the fundraiser is so important: "There are very few community halls like it still in existence. They've kind of lost their support, and it costs too much to maintain them. It's been our goal to keep this one in shape as well as up and running. It's kind of a piece of history." The hall has been around since the 40s, long enough to have been built with a 50 foot shooting range on the lower level. "We had a club many years ago. The area rifle club shot there for probably most of those years." Though the rifle club faded away, the local 4H Clubs have used it for archery in recent years.

The need for community support has grown in the last few years as the prices of things like insurance have grown. "We have utilities and insurance, which are our biggest expenses. The flea market used to bring in enough money to cover those two and now the insurance has gone to $6,000. We can't raise that much in one day in the market."

The hall has received significant support from the Lippert-Clawiter Foundation. "They have been very generous to us and helped us with improvements and that kind of thing." In addition, they draw income from renting the hall for private events. It is frequently used for all manner of activities from birthday parties to weddings.