Country | Down Home Traveler

I grew up in the tiny, tiny Northern Vermont town of Berkshire, VT. When I say tiny, I mean I’m pretty sure there’s more cows than people, even now. I thought, what better way to introduce Vermont than to first introduce the town where I was raised! Here’s a glimpse into my childhood. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.

View from my parents land.

A few facts:

2000 Census Population: 1,300 people
One store / gas station.
Elementary school is Kindergarten thru 8th grade.

High school? We can pick which high school we would like to attend from one of the neighboring towns.
Two restaurants (one is only open in the summer, the other just opened up), one bar.

MANY, many family owned dairy farms.

It’s a place where “Everyone knows your name”.
Canada is in our backyard. Literally.
‘West Berkshire’, ‘Berkshire Center’ and ‘East Berkshire’ constitute as ‘The Town of Berkshire’.
Closest grocery store – about 15 minutes away.
Traffic? It’s either a car going slower than 50 on the main road or a tractor, probably a tractor.
Not one stop light in town. Not one.

A few more important buildings (considering we have them)…

The Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church in East Berkshire.

We have a fire department, volunteer only. My dad was a volunteer fire fighter when I was growing up. The big fires were the barn fires from wet hay.

This is the Berkshire Town Hall. I will say this is “new” to me. This building has obviously always sat here but it was recently renovated and it looks pretty nice. The previous town clerks office was about the size of my bedroom… ok probably a little bigger than my bedroom but not that much. This is nice, I’d be interested to go inside.

Finally, coming into East Berkshire from Berkshire Center…. we love those Green Mountains in the background. It makes a sight for sore eyes. I can never get sick of looking at those peaks. The point part of the mountains in the background is Jay Peak (ski resort).

Here’s a little glimpse into my homeland. This town holds a really special place in my heart. If you have any questions about the town or what it was like to grow up here, I’d love to hear them!

Every year in April and September, rain or shine, you can travel along Farm Road 4 between Maypearl, Grandview and Cleburne you can expect nothing but sales. That’s right – its a 25 mile stretch full of steals and deals!

If you love pondering through items, what some may consider junk you consider gold, this is going to be the trip for you. This area is full of Texans who have been living in this area for generations, including many farmers and ranchers. Coming across some great antiques would not be a surprise so be sure to get out there bright and early!

I would suggest starting off in either Cleburne or Maypearl and head towards the other. Last year we decided to give this much talked about event a try. Half the fun is checking out the scenery along Farm Road 4 – its gorgeous! (Be sure to bring your camera!) You will want to park and walk around in each town. There’s lots to see!

We started off in Maypearl, a tiny little Texas town that I fell in love with the minute we got there. Love, love, love! The “Main Street” was lined with individuals, families and businesses with miscellaneous items to sell from antiques, to dishware, to yard items. We also ran into a few fund raising groups selling baked items and of course Girl Scout cookies (makes it hard to say no).

Soon enough you will find yourself heading west towards Grandview. Another small town, however slightly larger than Maypearl. Here we found a few shops open, typical “Texas” and antique shops. Again, the street lined with small tents. We found some baked goods – pies, breads, cookies and cakes.

The last stop is Cleburne, the largest of the three towns. There will be a ton to look thru. Don’t be surprised that along the way you will run into tons of other stops. Families will be having lawn sales. Between Grandview and Cleburne there will be a large and very busy flea market area. You’ll know you are getting close when the traffic starts to pile up. Don’t be alarmed, you can either park and check it out or keep on trucking thru. The area is pretty large so if you are after treasure hunting, I’d suggest stopping. We didn’t stop to check this out but if you do – let me know how it is! I’m sure there is gold to be found in this area.

Don’t be surprised to run into some traffic along the way – you aren’t the only one out there looking for items or just perusing. It’s almost like a treasure hunt! The culture you come across along the way in incredible – straight up Texas! If you find your stomach growling from hunger – no worries there is everything from BBQ (we are in Texas afterall) to sausage on a stick. You won’t go hungry around these parts!

Antique Alley is known for growing larger each year so if you attend one event, its expected that you will find something new the next time. Driving around and checking out the scenery is half the fun of the trip. During April, you will see the wildflowers out in the fields, which you can’t help but admire. Antique Alley it makes for a great day.

I apologize for not having more pictures of the actual sales. Feel free to post comments / pictures if you attend!

For More Info: http://www.antiquealleytexas.com/