Oasis hosts flea market in Scully Park

Something for everyone: Eat, drink, play, shop and be entertained this weekend

[August 21, 2013]  In spite of the difficulties of the past few weeks, the Oasis Senior Center is up and running and working harder than ever before to offer services to the seniors of the community.

Since the fire in July, the group has made its home at St. John United Church of Christ. It is a temporary location that is serving well while work is in process to determine the future of the building at the corner of Pulaski and Kickapoo streets.

Ellen Burbage of the Oasis said this week that thanks to the temporary location, the Oasis has been able to resume the majority of the vital services they offer to local seniors, and there are activities going on at the church for the seniors on a regular basis.

Burbage said that keeping things going requires money, and the flea market in Scully Park is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Oasis, providing the group with much-needed cash to maintain daily operations.

The flea market each year is one of the many great activities during the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival, and this year will be no exception.

Burbage said this event provides money to the Oasis through its vendor space rental and profits from the well-known outdoor café. She added that this year some donation cans will be set out for those who want to contribute to the building fund, but that the proceeds of the weekend event will not be used for the building fund.

This year there will be 60 vendors at the market offering a wide variety of products. Some items for sale will be storage chests, coins, old chairs, lots of antiques, garden lights, solar lights, an array of toys, plenty of crafts of one sort or another, other types of treasures some people have discarded, and collectibles.

The market hours will be the same as previous years:

• Friday, 3-6 p.m.

• Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Sunday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Open Air Café will be open during the day and will once again offer daily specials on some terrific meals.

On the daily specials menu:

• Friday: Hot dog or brat, baked beans, river chips and a soda

• Saturday: Pulled pork, green beans, river chips and a soda

• Sunday: Pork chop sandwich, green beans, river chips and a soda

In addition, a variety of food items will be offered individually, including rib-eye sandwiches, pork chop sandwiches, pulled-pork sandwiches, brats, hot dogs, river chips, river chips with cheese and walking tacos.

The café will also sell a wide variety of soda pop, bottled water and of course, their famous lemon shake-up.

The café will be set up on the north side of the park again this year with a nice tent and tables with chairs where shoppers can take a relaxing break, enjoy some great food and also listen to the live entertainment that will be going on nearby.

Burbage said there will also be a "sweet treat" bake sale going on nearby. The sale will offer grab-and-go-type sweet snacks that can be consumed on the move as shoppers browse the many booths of merchandise.

For those who are looking for a little relaxation and an opportunity to just enjoy the atmosphere of the market, there will be live entertainment on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Visitors can sit in the shaded areas of the park and enjoy some great music while they rest up and get ready to move on to the next event.

This year the Oasis will also offer more entertainment than in the past, beginning Friday afternoon with Elvis impersonator Greg Ray. Ray will take the stage from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, the Country Mavericks will play from noon to 2:30 p.m., and Elvis will return to the stage for an encore performance from 3 to 5.

On Sunday, Daryl Oller will perform from noon to 3 p.m.

In addition to all this, Scully Park itself is just a really nice place to visit. The highlight of the park is the lovely fountain in the center. The area around the fountain features great places to sit, relax a bit and just enjoy the glory of the day.

Scully also features a nice playground for the kids, which is a great place to expend some energy and give them a little break from shopping.

With so much going on this weekend, it might be a bit hard to make it to every spot, but it will be well worth your time to make a point of visiting Scully Park, and with three days to choose from, surely you'll be able to work it in.

[By NILA SMITH]