Gun show in flea market
Come to Hillsville, Virginia, just about any other weekend of the year and you will find a nice but sleepy town of just a few thousand folks. But come to Hillsville on Labor Day weekend — the first weekend in September — and you will find that sleepy little town has become a bustling metropolis of flea market and gun show sellers and buyers half a million strong.
VFW Post 1115 has been sponsoring the Labor Day Gun Show & Flea Market since the late 1960s and it has become one of the biggest events of its type in the state — perhaps in the nation. Pierce Webb, a Laurel Fork native, had retired to Florida and he developed a hobby for collecting and trading guns. Early in 1967, he visited his friend, Glenn Jackson, also a native of Laurel Fork.
The VFW Labor Day show, now the largest single event in Carroll and surrounding counties, did not just happen. A lot of people worked long hours in bringing it to the current point. And they continue working long hours before, during and after the event. But the Men of Post 1115 and the Ladies of the Auxiliary enjoy this culmination of coming together with hard work. Money realized from the show keep the Post in operation for the entire year, and a lot of the money that is taken in is returned to the Community in the form of donations to many civic groups and individuals in need.