The 45 mph wind gusts and light snow didn't deter the large gathering Saturday at the Central States Fairgrounds for what was billed as the "mother of all" rummage sales and flea markets.

About 60 booths were set up, selling diverse items including origami shirts, baseball cards and the regular garage sale fodder.

Don Ward from Fort Pierre drew a few people to his booth with samples of his buffalo jerky and meat sticks.

"I was pleasantly surprised," Ward said. "We didn't know what to expect." Ward owns a plant in Fort Pierre that manufactures the jerky. His next trip is to the flea markets in New York. "This is a preliminary run. We'll see how it goes."

It's the fairgrounds' first year holding the event. Douglas Bellinger, a resident of Lincoln, Neb., promoted the rummage sale.

"We've had a good crowd. We weren't expecting this big of a crowd. We were caught off-guard," Bellinger said. In honors of Mother's Day this weekend, Bellinger said they gave away yard stakes to the first 200 mothers.

Lois Adams of Rapid City wasn't there shopping for her mother but found a couple of treasures for herself: Lou Rawls and Stevie Wonder albums. Even though she doesn't have a record player, she bought them because "they're collectors' items."

Louis Darlington and Francine Rencountre, both of Rapid City, are frequent visitors of rummage sales.

"We go all the time. They're hard to resist," Darlington said. Rencountre picked up a couple of quilts and a bear-claw nightlight.

With the number of items found, not everyone was satisfied.

"I wish there were more furniture, more household items," Adams said.

This year, the rummage sale lasted only for one day, but Bellinger said he will make it two days next year.

Contact Sarah Beu at sarah.beu@rapidcityjournal.com