With the trend to recycle pieces of the past and the eclectic style of home decorating more popular than ever, this local flea market and antique show is one of the hottest tickets around. Rain or shine, people are waiting in line to pay the $4.50 admission price when the door opens at 8 a.m. – ready and eager to scour the grounds where nearly 450 dealers are displaying their wares in both indoor and outdoor booths.

People everywhere these days are decorating their homes with castoffs, garage sale finds and found treasures. This is a style that gives homeowners and decorators the right to place a battered and bruised $2 chair with peeling paint right next to a crystal lamp or sterling silver tray and feel good about it. And it’s obvious by looking through the racks of home design books and magazine layouts, most of which prominently feature vintage objects, that this trend is here to stay.

From the granddaddy of them all, the Brimfield, Mass., show with over 5,000 dealers, to the neighborhood garage sale, there are over 3,000 flea markets in the United States. And one of the best ones around is only a short drive from Lincoln, where local dealers set up shop next to dealers from across the country. And of course, part of the fun of shopping at flea markets instead of the shopping malls and discount stores is the atmosphere. Corn dogs, lemon shake-ups and strawberry shortcakes are sold from stands right alongside the oak rockers, garden chairs, antique quilts and graniteware, making it all the more fun to browse and shop.