Men with bulldog looking at hunting knives, February 1999 Photo: David Wharton

First Monday in Ripley

Originally sponsored by the Tippah County government beginning in 1893, these monthly gatherings were publicized as First Monday Sale and Trade Days. A kind of early farmers' market, the event also had the participation of Ripley merchants, who designated the first Monday of each month "grand bargain day." First held on the courthouse square, the event moved to the county fairgrounds in the 1940's and finally to the 30-acre site of an abandoned drive-in movie theater. In recent years the main sale and trade day has shifted to Saturday, and the wares have expanded to include almost anything imaginable; goats, pea fowl, quilts, video games, compact discs, toys, auto parts, wigs, T-shirts, and sunglasses are just a few examples. More than 50,000 people attend, many to buy, sell, or trade, but some simply for the spectacle of it all. Visitors from neighboring states as well as distant ones are regularly seen. Project documentation comprises 30 black-and-white photographs, 12 taped interviews and transcripts.

Originally submitted by: Thad Cochran, Senator.

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