Rt 1, Box 139 LeCenter, MN 56057
Back in 1978, several members of the LeSueur County Pioneer
Power Association suggested that a swap meet be held so the members
and interested people would have a place to look for the part they
needed or sell their items that they wanted to get rid of. So it
was decided to have the swap meet the last Sunday in April and hold
it at the fairgrounds in LeCenter, Minnesota.
That first swap meet it rained cats and dogs all day with maybe
10 swappers showing up. Luckily enough, we were all able to be
inside the display building except for one lone vendor who
challenged the rain and sold every engine he brought. He looked
like a drowned rat.
On another swap meet Sunday, the temperature rose to nearly 90
degrees with many vendors looking like a white hog out in the sun
for the first time-pink.
The most memorable one was in 1984 (weatherwise), the day was
cloudy, cold, with a stiff east wind blowing and by 4 o’clock
that afternoon the skies left loose with heavy wet snow and by the
time it was over, 10 inches of snow had fallen with some vendors
being stranded somewhere between LeCenter and their homes. Miles of
power lines had come down due to the heavy wet snow sticking to the
lines and poles. Many areas were without power for 4 to 7 days.
I’m sure those of you who were there will remember it for years
to come.
Through all the years of heat and cold, rain or snow, the swap
meet has grown from a meager start of 10 vendors to a record of 270
in 1987. One reason we attribute this success is the fact that many
people are anxious to become unhibernated and get out and start
antiqueing, either buying, selling, or trading. It’s one of the
first swap meets of the season, and it kind of kicks off the
up-coming season of swap meet, threshing shows and, most of all,
just plain socializing.
So plan now to attend our 1988 swap meet on April 24th, in
LeCenter, Minnesota.
