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Wilkes Pin Dinner recognizes Upward Bound students

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<p>KINGSTON &#8212; It&#8217;s only three-hours long and confined to a single room, but the Church of Christ Uniting flea market is a pretty profitable venture.</p><p>&#8220;We make about $3,000 every year,&#8221; Jim Kersey, one of the organizers, said about halfway through Saturday&#8217;s event.</p><p>That means about $1,000 an hour, a pretty successful business model, considering it&#8217;s 100 percent profit.</p><p>&#8220;Yeah, I guess so,&#8221; Kersey laughed.</p><p>Of course, it helps to have free space, donated merchandise and no payroll. The market is run entirely by about 30 volunteers, including Hopkin Rowlands, who said he has helped out not only every year but always in the same spot, at the table in the middle near the front door.</p><p>&#8220;I like it,&#8221; Rowlands beamed. &#8220;Otherwise I wouldn&#8217;t do it.&#8221;</p><p>Kersey said the event started out even smaller, with the intent of fulfilling the church&#8217;s goal of supporting mission work. In recent years, all the proceeds have gone to a Methodist mission helping abused and neglected children.</p><p>No one could actually remember how long ago the flea market started, though most agreed it was about 15 years or so, possibly more.</p><p>Asked about the pack that never left his back, Kersey grinned. &#8220;I&#8221;m the bank; that&#8217;s the money.&#8221;</p><p>And as to that red apron marked &#8220;Mr. Excitement&#8221; Rowlands was wearing? Well, the church provides, and apparently they ran out of COCU aprons before he picked his out.</p><p>Is he &#8220;Mr. Excitement?&#8221;</p><p>Rowlands laughed and shook his head. &#8220;No, not at all.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Jim Kersey, one of the organizers of the annual &#8212; and at three hours, short &#8212; Church of Christ Uniting flea market in Kingston, said the event takes in about $3,000 a year, with all of it going to a selected mission. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Christ-uniting-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Jim Kersey, one of the organizers of the annual &#8212; and at three hours, short &#8212; Church of Christ Uniting flea market in Kingston, said the event takes in about $3,000 a year, with all of it going to a selected mission. </caption0><photoCredit0>Mark Guydish | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Little flea market brings in big bucks for Church of Christ Uniting