Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Junkin’ Takes Over Prairie Grove
PRAIRIE GROVE — Texas Trash out of Paris, Texas, was a new vendor this weekend at the Junk Ranch and owner Ashley Burns was impressed with the vintage fair.
Burns said she travels to two fairs each month in Texas and “absolutely” plans to return to Prairie Grove.
“This is amazing,” Burns said Friday morning. “The quality of the vendors is exceptional.”
Her booth had a variety of items but the featured products were vintage jewelry pieces that she takes and recreates into something new.
Anyone interested in junk, recycled or repurposed items or vintage furniture was in the right place over the weekend. In addition to Junk Ranch, which attracts thousands of people, three other major events were going on in town: 2nd Saturday Trades Day, Junk at the Mill and Junk Yard Dog Junk Fest.
Along with vintage items for sale, the venues in town had food, live music and even some animals for adoption. Numerous yard sales were going on in Prairie Grove to take advantage of the expected foot traffic for the weekend.
“This is great for Prairie Grove,” said Mayor Sonny Hudson. “It’s great for all the people who love to do this and it’s great for the people who like to shop for it.”
John Fitzgerald and his wife have brought their Southern Dust booth to Junk Ranch for four years. The fair is held in the spring and fall each year on a farm on Centerpoint Church Road just outside Prairie Grove.
“It is the best show by far that we do,” Fitzgerald said. “Amy and Julie (Junk Ranch owners) do a phenomenal job. It’s the best organized, best run show we do, period.”
Owners Julie Speed and Amy Daniels are the driving force behind the Junk Ranch. They are assisted by 60 volunteers or “ranch hands,” who help in many ways, such as working the gate, helping load and carry purchased items or answering questions.
Prairie Grove High seniors and parents parked cars to help raise money for their 2018 Project Graduation.
Speed said the number of customers has grown with each event and she credits that to social media and because “junk is the thing.” The fall 2016 vintage fair brought in almost 8,000 people, she said, adding she knows of customers who have come from states such as Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana and Illinois.
This weekend’s Junk Ranch fair had more than 110 vendors with 250 booths set up.
Junk Ranch started as Farm Fresh in September 2013 in Viney Grove. The event moved to its current location the next year because it needed more space.
Diane Murray of Farmington participated in Farm Fresh and has set up her Primitive and Proper booth every year since then.
“Junkin’ is our hobby,” Murray said.
Murray said she believes the event has grown each year because for one, it’s in northwest Arkansas “and you can’t get prettier than that,” and two, it has something for everyone.
Junk at the Mill had about 56 vendors and Junk Yard Dog had about 30 vendors. Other vendors were set up downtown as part of 2nd Saturday Trades Day.
Audra Bailey, who chairs the Trades Day committee, said participation is growing in the monthly event to promote businesses in Prairie Grove.
“Our mission is to make Prairie Grove a destination place and I feel we are well on our way to doing that,” Bailey said.
Hudson expressed his appreciation to the Trades Day committee.
“I’ve walked up and down the street and everyone seems to be having a good time,” Hudson said. “It’s all been really good.”