Rummage-A-Rama

Where do I start? We’d never been to the Wisconsin State Fair grounds before and boy were we in for a treat. Rummage-​O-​Rama is some of the best people watching I’ve encountered outside of a Nascar race. I can only imagine that the second event in April gets better as the temperature rises. This review consists of two parts: the rummage sale and the people watching. Note: Take some sort of canned good and you’ll get half off of your admission ticket a whopping $ 2 off.
First, lets talk about the rummage sale! What more can you ask for than old people selling you stuff that has the bewildering stench of yester-​year and in many cases just as much dust. From vintage vinyl to antique dolls to pre-1900’s depression glass there is so much to choose from. Take plenty of cash and be prepared to barter like you were at a Morroccan street bazaar. The whispers of, «I can do better on my prices» or «Half off if you like what you see» from all the hunched over little old men and women manning their booths is just so reminiscent of a day and time where people werent out to take you for everything you’ve got and were merely looking for an honest and fair deal. Yes, there’s a considerable amount of wholesale junk for sale here, however the majority is actually a pretty decent stuff. If you live a shabby chic life and enjoy a bit of vintage bric-​à-​brac this place is definitely for you.
Second, the people watching. OMG, where do I start? I have to say the previous reviewer hit it right on the head, «grizzled, orange, bedazzled, nicotine hacking women on the arms of burly biker men…». We saw pink haired women, SUPER-​mullets, too tight two-​piece denim outfits, plenty of porn-​staches, and oh so many missing teeth rockin’ vintage Old Milwaukee, Pabst or Blatz t-​shirts. Not to mention this could invariably be renamed the Sweatpants-​O-​Rama as the population outside of my fiancé and I were rockin’ out in their best «Sunday Sweats».
Overall it was the best use of 2 – 3 hours on a Sunday afternoon. We bought some kitschy items and some vintage vinyl in A+ condition and spent less than $ 14. The vendors were friendly and full of smiles (some less toothy than others) and eager to tell you all about some of their vintage items, so you get a little local history and some priceless entertainment. Definitely would reccomend going to the next one and take some friends as its a great reason to get out of the house and get a few laughts.

Where should you go when you have nothing better to do on a weekend and want to go some place where the people watching is stellar? Ladies and Gentlemen, let me introduce you to Rummage O Rama.
For those of you semi-​familiar with R-​O-​R from the days of yore, let me break your little heart and let you know that gone are the days were it was held in the large Exhibit Hall and is now held in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion. In essence it’s much dinkier than I recall it to be. Parking is free as long as you park in the middle of nowhere parking lot otherwise closer parking is $ 5. But this is STALLIS baby so you don’t pony up no dang money for fancy schmancy parkin’. You WALK for free.
The price of admission was $ 4 unless you brought perishable food items then it was two. The price of admission was worth every penny though because I would pay $ 2 for nothing more than a chance to sit on a bench and watch the Fraggles that weave through the aisles. Grizzled, orange, bedazzled, nicotine hacking women on the arms of burly, hairy, ill kept biker men WAY past their prime and shoved into 3 sizes too small black wolf tee shirts.
The vendors just run the gamut of junk you don’t need to buy.
I have to admit it was a bit disappointing. It wasn’t as big as I remember it to be and quality of goods wasn’t that great. Alot of the vendors were way over priced for the stuff they were trying to unload. Many of them must have understood this because by Saturday afternoon on the all weekend event many pounced on you the moment you walked in their vicinity reeking of desperation and sputtering «I can do better on the prices».
All in all we came away with a vintage 1940’s cookbook for me, some jerky made of Elk, Beef and Buffalo, some Kettle Corn, those old fashioned candies — flying saucers and a set of Star Wars glasses for the geek boyfriend. Perhaps the best find was a vintage ash tray I had been trying to find that my grandfather had. I found it but the vendor was asking $ 15 for it which was beyond my frugal proclivities. My boyfriend’s darling daughter went back to get it for me and even haggled the man down to $ 12. It was still a fun way to pass a Saturday afternoon and the people watching gave us lots to giggle about the entire way home.