The annual Church on the Cape Ship’s Cargo Fair began in the 1950s and continues to be a quintessential, small-town Americana experience. Memories of the yearly event are steeped in the minds and hearts of those who have attended it over the years.
Kerri Lovejoy at the Ship’s Cargo Fair. at Church on the Cape. This year’s Ship’s Cargo Fair will take place Aug. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Courtesy photo
Tom Bradbury recalled some of his early memories of the fair in his book, “Our Harbor Home.”
“The annual church fairs were also held at the Atlantic Hall and the ladies of the congregation went to great lengths to make the place look festive,” wrote Bradbury. “The walls were covered with quilts, Afghans, baby blankets or other crafts that had been lovingly made for the benefit of the church’s budget.
“Tables filled the upstairs, some covered with pies, cakes, homemade preserves and cookies, items whose ingredients had been bought, brought home, mixed, beaten, baked, and delivered before being sold for pennies on the dollar. No one seemed to care. What you paid for your contribution was made up for with what you bought from someone else.”
This year’s Ship’s Cargo Fair will take place Aug. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. In addition to baked goods and homemade canned goods, there will be crafts, household items, linens, jewelry, clothing for all ages, sizes, and style preferences, small furniture pieces, accessories, art, toys, vintage items, books and more.
The Church on the Cape Ship’s Cargo Fair in the 1950s. At right, June Perkins. This year’s Ship’s Cargo Fair will take place Aug. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Courtesy photo
According to a July 22 news release, “Other tables were crowded with yard sale type goods, items chosen because their owners couldn’t stand looking at them anymore or were tired of dusting them. The concept was that putting them in this new environment would somehow make them look more desirable. Surprisingly, that sometimes worked. One man’s trash could indeed be another man’s treasure.
“There were also those things that you could only find. a church fair, like a hand-knit pink toilet paper cover made in the shape of a rabbit. One wouldn’t think there would be a big market for such a thing, but they sold, prompting the maker to come back with multiple colored knit toilet paper holders in the future.”
For more information, call 207-967-5787 or visit. www.churchonthecape.org/.
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