JUNKSTOCK: 7 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
We love helping you plan your weekend adventures, Two Lanes road trips, and introducing you to people creating American made products. Every once in a while, we meet someone who is a combination of all three. Sara Alexander is one of these of people.
Sara was the first in the country with the idea of combining LIVE music, food, and junk together in a curated space. Unlike other outdoor antique markets, she wanted to hers to connect to the other side of the antique industry using decor as the focus. What began in 2011 as a junk shop in a chicken coop, grew into a brick and mortar shop, and eventually one of the best vintage festivals in the country. This is Junkstock.
And in case you were wondering, it’s no coincidence that “Junkstock” sounds like “Woodstock”.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the impact that Woodstock has had on multiple generations,” explains Sara. “Both were founded with the ideals of peace and love in mind and quickly became a community because of it. I wanted to bring something to my community that had a similar groovy festival vibe. Fun fact: both Woodstock and Junkstock were hosted on old dairy farms. Junkstock has since grown and moved to a century old horse farm but has kept the same peace, love and junk vibe!”
This year junkers will travel from every corner of the country to meet at Sycamore Farms to buy, trade, and celebrate new finds. It can be a lot to a junker just starting out, so before you pack your bags for the Midwest, here are a seven things you oughta know before you head to Junkstock 2017:
1) You’ll be supporting more than 200 small businesses Only 100% Authentic vintage and handmade artisan at Junkstock! No reproductions or fakes here. Repurposed items, jewelry, mid century furniture… the list goes on.
2) It’s a century-old farm experience: Junkstock is held yearly on Sycamore Farms, a 135 acre-century-old horse farm in Omaha. Founding junk mama Sara and her family actually live on the property in a 116-year-old farmhouse!
3) Rock out some LIVE music while you pick The Junkstock stage has become just as big as the junkin’ on the farm. This year, check out 11 LIVE bands that range from local to award winning. You can expect to see Hector Anchondo who was a top 8 finalist in the worldwide 2016 International Blues Challenge, and Josh Hoyer of Team Blake during the last season of The Voice. Check out the line up!
4) Bring your kids and the family dog! Let’s be honest, the kiddos aren’t going to want to be patient while you pick through old metal signs and repurposed relics, so reward their good behavior by promising them some serious play time at Kids World. This is a place designed to entertain kids with face painting, bounce houses, pony rides, scavenger hunts and more. Kids 12 and under are always free and so is Fido. (Don’t forget a leash, please!)
5) The people who go are wildly dedicated While the Junkstock team is always happy to hear how far folks have traveled to come to the festival, they’re even more impressed when they hear stories of people rearranging life plans in the name of the Junkstock lifestyle. One year a pregnant woman promised to name her unborn baby after a honey vendor in exchange for free honey for life. (She proved it when she showed up a year later to collect on her deal with the vendor!) There was even one couple who purposefully planned their out-of-town wedding around the festival so they could honeymoon at Junkstock. Speaking of weddings…
6) In sickness and in junk Yes, people get married at this event! The folks at Junkstock have created a mini outdoor wedding chapel and host a ‘Tiny Hippie Wedding’ at the old horse farm during the festivial. Complete with a mini wedding cake, hippie flower crowns, an old VW bus decorated with ‘Just Married’. Say “I do!”
7) They round up the best food trucks around We’ve done the math. If you eat at 10 different food trucks and vendors each day over the span of the three day festival, you’ll be able to sample one of everything from the 30 food options on site. Prepare your stomach for chocolates, honey, root beer, cheeses and more. Don’t forget to get some kettle corn to take home!
The sense of community and family runs deep at Junkstock. Each event is like a big ol’ family reunion that’s always rooted by its motto: peace, love, and junk.
