Corona to Close Trade Days First Time in 150 Years

CANTON — In an extraordinary move First Monday Trade Days in Canton announced on Tuesday, that it would not be in operation for the upcoming April event. According to a post on social media the city says, “The safety of our citizens, vendors, visitors, and employees remains our highest priority. Closing First Monday due to COVID-19 was a hard decision because it supports more than 1,000 entrepreneurs and local merchants who rely on this market for their livelihood.”

First Monday Trade Days is the largest flea market in the world and hosts thousands of local vendors. The April event was scheduled for April 2-5. The organization said the closing was “in the best interest of our local community and the thousands of folks who come from all over the country…” East Texas currently has seven cases of the coronavirus. Four are in Smith County and one each in Gregg, Rusk, and Bowie Counties. The CDC recommended on Monday that there be no public gathering larger than 10 people for the next two weeks to help stop the spread of COVID-19.