New River Field Guide

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While I've been glooming and dooming about downtown Blacksburg, other folks have gotten together to do something about it.

They've started a Sunday afternoon flea market downtown at the farmers market on Draper Road.

Now, some people might think that a flea market is hardly an engine for economic redevelopment. In fact, they might think just the opposite.

But this is Blacksburg and the flea market is the Blacksburg Backyard Bazaar, a mix of art show and yard sale with a live soundtrack and tarot card readings. Let's see First & Main top that.

I went to the inaugural flea market and, granted, it was a little on the small size. Hopefully, better weather and word-of-mouth will help it grow throughout the summer.

But even in its infancy, the event had a cool hang-out-and-shoot-the-breeze feel to it. I saw an old friend I haven't run into in more than a year, bought some bake sale brownies from the Blacksburg Mom's Club and listened to some music. The two acts, guitarist Tommy Edwards and old-time band Bits and Pieces, had a bit of a collision both stylistically and logistically, but they both sounded good and fit the mood.

Photographer Ben Oramas was selling photos of Virginia Tech and other locales, and another artist had wild and crazy candlesticks.

An ordained Wiccan high priest, the Rev. Draigh Lunara, tried to sell me some theater seats. Not tickets, but actual seats. After I declined, he mentioned that he does tarot card readings and eventually offered to give me a free one-card mini-reading.

I asked: Would a current project of mine reach fruition? I drew: The Ten of Pentacles card. Lunara said: It's a good card. My project will be a success.

Bottom line: I'm hoping the Sunday flea markets in downtown Blacksburg will be successful, too.