Those who are traveling to Johnstown over the Labor Day weekend should see both bargains and brake lights.

The Johnstown Historical Society's Labor Day flea market, the immensely popular Swappers Day and the hundreds of community garage sales and yard sales will bring lots of traffic, Downtown Johnstown Inc. board member Marvin Block said. He said the village would be a flea marketer's and secondhand shopper's paradise that weekend, beginning with the historical society's event, should include roughly 30 vendors selling everything from glassware to dollar items, as well as two or three food vendors.

"We have just a nice variety of things," he said, adding that this is the event's 15th year. The flea market will be on the town square at the intersection of state Route 37 and U.S. Route 62. Hours are noon to dusk Friday, Aug. 31; 8 a.m. to dusk Saturday, Sept. 1; and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2.

Block said spaces are available for more vendors, and anyone interested should call him at 740-967-4591.

"This is (the historical society's) one money-making project for the year," Block said.

The other big draw that weekend will be Swappers Day, at 7357 Sportsmans Club Road. This is the Johnstown Community Sportsmans Club's 68th installment, with more than 700 vendors and roughly 20 food concessions. Many local nonprofit groups will be represented among the vendors.

According to the club's website, Swappers Day festivities began simply as a group of sportsmen who wanted to race their prize dogs across a man-made pond at their club. As popularity of the event grew, participants started bringing items to swap, trade and sell. Today, hundreds of vendors and thousands of shoppers attend each year. Swappers Day also features dog water trials Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Gates will open at 8 a.m. and close at dusk Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 1 and 2. Monday hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Admission is $5 per day for adults, with children 12 and younger admitted free. Parking is free, and a shuttle service will be provided in the parking area. Alcohol is prohibited as are pets, and all gun laws will be strictly observed.

Block said the 200 to 300 Johnstown community garage sales that are held Labor Day weekend sprang up as a direct result of the interest in Swappers Day over the years.

So why have the flea market on the same weekend?

The answer is simple, Block said: "That's when all the traffic comes."