Enjoyed the Flea Market. I will never go back because of the trumped up offense of Parking, Standing, stopping in prohibited area. There were no signage that was visible on that Saturday morning we arrived. 40+ vehicles parked in the same area. Is this a small town way of creating revenue? I'll never go back to White Cloud nor Troy County, and if anyone asks me about the flea market, I'll fill them in on the bogus charges we received. My family had spent over $200 each other f the 4 times we went to the flea market in the past 3 years. I'm positive I won't be the only patron that will not step or drive in that county again. The district attorney's office seemed to acknowledge there were a large number of folks that received the same letter with no citations. That is not the way to generate income for your county. read more

The White Cloud Flea Market happens every year over Labor Day weekend. It is awesome! The vendors stretch on forever, and you can find almost anything you can think of - much of it vintage. This is a pickers heaven. Though, many of the vendors know what they have, and some try to price high. It is easy to bargain with them though, and to find some great stuff. Furniture, tools, paper goods, toys, oddities, dishes, knick knacks, some clothing, books, records, and on, and on. It is just a couple hours or less outside of Kansas City. Look for all of the cars, and vendors...you can't miss it! There are two separate areas where stuff gets set up...one kind of outside of town that you will hit first, and one on the main drag of White Cloud. Make sure to go to both. Besides all of the great stuff to comb through, and hopefully come out with some treasure, there is food! Classic fair food - hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs, funnel cakes, snow cones, kettle corn, ice cream. In town there are usually some more interesting options. Last year, a church was selling fry bread tacos. They were so good! Grab a friend, take a day (I always go on Saturday, though it goes on Friday and Sunday too) and road trip up to White Cloud. Even if you don't end up with much, it is simply fun. read more

The first time we visited the White Cloud Flea Market, blind faith in MapQuest directions led us down a gravel road into a rural landscape like none we had ever seen before. Fecund fields as far as the eye could see, broken only by the occasional abandoned homestead. Modern construction simply had not reached these forlorn back roads. We drove for miles, gaping as we passed yet another disintegrating farmhouse and crumbling stone barn. Each time we were compelled to slow the car and stare, wondering what the decay concealed, speculating about the home's history and demise. We were both fascinated and unnerved by the ghostly setting, and breathed a collective sigh of relief when luxury SUV's began to appear, parked on both sides of this lonely road in the middle of nowhere. We had arrived in White Cloud. Not quite a ghost town, modern day White Cloud has less than 200 residents. At one time, it was home to over 2,000 people, and its docks were an integral stop for steamships traveling up and down the Missouri River. Local legend says that Lewis and Clark carved their names into rock somewhere near the city site when they scouted the area in 1804. It is a lovely location. The Missouri River winds peacefully through rolling hills. It would be a great spot for a weekend getaway, if the town was not completely void of activity 357 days of the year. Twice a year, the barren streets of White Cloud fill with day-trippers, treasure hunters, and moneyed decorators looking for a bit of history to take home from the semi-annual White Cloud Flea Market. Nearby Sparks, KS, holds a large antique market on the same days. Storefronts that are normally silent and locked open their doors on these two special weekends to sell their dust covered wares and welcome the swarms of visitors that converge from nearby states. The best pickings are small collectibles and unusual chotskies. A few stands do sell larger items like furniture, but the majority of vendors have old toys, tools, books, house wares, jewelry, etc. If you are a serious shopper, the Sparks flea market covers the most ground, but browsing in White Cloud is more fun. Reasonable prices and a vast selection make it worth the long, but scenic drive from KC. The first year we made the trip on a whim and didn't consider provisions. Luckily, a church in White Cloud was selling fresh fry bread tacos. This year we took a picnic lunch and ate in the functional, but clearly neglected White Cloud city park. To supplement a picnic, there are also vendors selling funnel cakes, sun tea, and a variety of hot dogs. Photos and more on my blog: http://thefamilyunit.tumblr.com/ read more

I just got back from White Cloud flea mkt. What a disappointment. I haven't been for about 4 yrs. and it had changed so much. It used to be one of my favorite places to go, but not now. It seemed run down, only about half as many boothes, not much food and some of the places were exactly the same, with the exact same things. It seemed like the builldings just stored all of the stuff in it from year to year and just opened the doors and turned on the light and didn't even bother to re-arrange the things for sale. I know that it has been a hard year, because of the high water, but I won't be going back. read more

Looking foward to the 2012 market, I find the prices are so much moe reasonable at Whitecloud, go there first. Jj