A shot of the action at the annual flea market at Goldfish Pond. Courtesy photo by Matt Guillory.
By Gayla Cawley
LYNN — Maintaining Goldfish Pond and its surrounding park is a summer-long effort, but with the season winding down, funds need to be raised for next year’s upkeep.
On Saturday, the Goldfish Pond Association, the group responsible for maintaining the area since 1980, will be throwing its 36th Annual Fun n’ Flea Day. The event is held on Goldfish Pond, just off Route 1A and Lynn Shore Drive, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is the organization’s largest fundraiser.
“I think it’s become a tradition in the city and I think a lot of people appreciate the work that we’ve done, so they enjoy coming down,” said Kathy Montejunas, a charter member of the association and coordinator of the flea market. “It’s a chance to enjoy a really pretty place in the city.”
All funds raised from the flea market, which typically totals about $3,000, will go towards the neighbors’ efforts to maintain the park, which includes the cost of planting flowers and purchasing equipment and other materials for clean-up, said Montejunas.
She said the pond and park area used to be maintained by the city before the association began 36 years ago. City workers didn’t plant flowers and just mowed the lawn once a month, so the group decided to take over the work because “it looked pretty bad.”
In the 1970s, the crime rate in Lynn was higher, and there was a lot of vandalism at the pond, so it was always a mess, said Paul Coombs, president of the association. He said the city didn’t have the resources to keep up, so the group began as an effort to reduce the vandalism at the pond and to keep an eye on the issues. It became apparent, he said, that maintaining the pond was a part of those efforts. A Model Cities Grant was also received in the 1970s to revitalize the park, which gave the group a good incentive to keep it that way, he added.
About 80 vendors will have tables set up at the flea market. Food will be sold, boat rides are offered around the pond and people can participate in raffles with prizes totaling $2,000. The $30 buy-in fee for vendors and the raffles are two of the biggest money makers for the fair. The event is put on through the efforts of 50 volunteers.
“It’s just a very uplifting event for everyone,” said Coombs. “It’s a chance to enjoy the pond.”
Gayla Cawley can be reached at gcawley@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.
