ECLECTIC WARES AWAIT FLEA MARKET SHOPPERS

To add a distinctive touch to one’s home decor, or to find a unique gift for a loved one, discriminating shoppers would do well to attend the Port Costa Flea Market, Antiques and Crafts Fair Saturday, Aug. 11.

The Flea Market will be held on the playground of the Port Costa School, Reservoir Road and Canyon Lake Drive, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event is the summer fund raiser for the Port Costa Conservation Society. All proceeds after expenses will go to the maintenance and restoration of the historic Port Costa School building.

The Flea Market is an excellent opportunity to sort out stuff that’s been in storage for so long you can’t remember where it is, and turn a tidy profit in the bargain. A 12'x12' space is only $20.00. Early Bird fee is $5.00, from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., and a $1.00 donation for entry will be requested at the gate after that time.

Eclectic merchandise awaits the buyer. Sample list of goods, as described by vendors already signed up for the Flea Market: Hand-painted furniture, collectible antiques and junk women’s knick-knacks, tools,

fishing gear, home-made jams and jellies, magnets, pins, stickers and "cha-cha" (not explained).

Also: Textiles, paintings, prints, books, watercolor art, household and miscellaneous garage sale items, T-shirts, cards, posters, Tarot card readings by Bob Reed, and a one-legged piano. Port Costa clay artist Clayton Bailey will show a variety of more than 100 stoneware bowls and cups, glazed in cobalt blue or traditional brown slip, so attractively priced you won’t be able to resist buying several. As well, Crockett’s Kathy Kearns will be exhibiting and selling her colorful pottery, and Clare Greene will be selling her hand-made stuffed animals. The Conservation Society will staff a booth, and welcomes donated items for sale.

The event is currently being advertised in the Crockett Signal, Martinez News-Gazette, Benicia Herald, Classified Flea Market and all editions of the Contra Costa Times, including the West County Times.

Delicious barbecued chicken, sausages and hot dogs will be for sale, with fresh hot Peet’s coffee, ice cold beer and soft drinks. As the school’s elm trees have been felled by Dutch Elm disease, vendors are advised to bring shade umbrellas or tent-top canopies for protection from the August sun. Reservations can be made by calling Veronica Crane at (510) 787-3036. An aerial view of the school ground can be seen by visiting

NOTICE:  Traffic advisory: Because of CalTrans work on the new Carquinez Bridge, both Interstate 80 exits to Crockett (and Port Costa) may be closed.  An alternate route to Port Costa is via McEwen Rd. off Highway 4.

FLEA MARKET RESERVATIONS GET EARLY START

   Many vendors are getting a head start for the Port Costa Flea Market and Crafts Fair, as reservations have arrived in the mail already for the August 11 event. The Flea Market is the 2001 fund raiser to help restore the 1911 Port Costa School building.

   A minimum of 70 12'x12' spaces for $20.00 each will be available in and around the school and the baseball field. Early Bird entry fee will be $5.00 from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m., with $1.00 general admission from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

   Delicious barbecued chicken  will be served, along with sausages and hot dogs, beer and soft drinks. Fresh hot Peet’s Top Blend coffee will be available in the morning. Volunteers will be needed to staff the food and beverage booths.

  The Flea Market and Crafts Fair is sponsored by the Port Costa Conservation Society. The PCCS will have a selling booth, with all proceeds going to the school building restoration project. Donations to the PCCS booth are welcome.

    Applications for space rental and other vendor information may be obtained from Veronica Crane at (510) 787-3036.  

SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN FULL SWING    

   From the outside there’s not much to see but a pile of concrete rubble, but the pace has definitely been stepped  up for the long awaited repairs to the Port Costa School building. Steel beams have been bolted into place and concrete work is underway to strengthen the foundation and back wall. The floor slab, which was undermined by water in the storm of January 1995, is being demolished and replaced with a new concrete floor.

   The main repair work is funded 75% ($114,800) by the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), with the Port Costa Conservation Society picking up the rest ($37,000) through memberships, fund raisers, grants and donations. Rebuilding the two restrooms to ADA standards is being covered by a County Community Development Block Grant of $18,500. The Crockett Community Foundation has also contributed to the PCCS’ matching portion with a grant of $4,638.  Additionally, CCF donated $1,000 to last year’s Talent Show earnings of $7,344.  Pacific Customs Materials, Port Costa’s industrial aggregate neighbor, has also donated to the project with a contribution of $5,000. Other major donations include $4,000 from the Clare and Gordon Johnson Trust in San Francisco, and employee matching grants of $1,000 from Charles Schwab Co. and $332 from Pacific Gas and Electric Co.

   Deadline for completion of the work is June 30, 2001. “The building will be ready for the Flea Market this summer, with brand new restrooms and brand new plumbing,” said Ridge Greene, PCCS chairman who is supervising the job on a pro bono basis. The new restrooms will feature the original V-groove Douglas Fir paneling that was  salvaged during the construction process. New energy-efficient lighting will also be installed.

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