FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Area residents who have swapped material goods and information for years over the radio will soon have an opportunity to do so face to face.

On Saturday, May 17, WABF 1220 AM will host the first Annual Swap Shop Listener Appreciation Party and Flea Market, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Bay Village Stone, located at the corner of State Highway 181 at County Road 34.

“Listeners have commented for years that we should have a get-together, particularly a lot of the regulars. Some have almost become ‘characters’ of the show,” said Station Manager and Gulf Coast Swap Shop Host Lori DuBose.

DuBose shares hosting duties during the week with Mark Swally and on Saturdays, callers interact with Suzy Galanopoulos. The show airs Monday through Saturday 9:05-10 a.m. With Swap Shop, the station offers residents a live broadcast with free, personal advertising. DuBose said individuals call in to buy, sell, or swap a wide variety of items: lawn mowers to appliances, trailers and trucks, boats, cars and furniture. “You never know what you’re going to hear, or find,” she said.

DuBose said some of the more unusual items brought to the show were peacock eggs for sale and a request for the removal of a bat from an attic. “Right now, a man is selling a dancing bear he thinks was used as a display in a shoe store,” DuBose said. “It moves around and can hold a product,” she added.

The show will also feature live music by Blind Dog Mike, Randy Branch and Jimmy Lee Hannaford as well as some free food. Flea market spaces are available for rent by individuals and local businesses. DuBose said the individual spaces will rent for between $10 and $35, depending on the size reserved and the need for display tables; businesses should contact WABF for pricing.

No one is exactly sure how old the Swap Shop program is, but DuBose is sure it has been around for decades. The station itself has been broadcasting since Aug. 12, 1961.

On an average day, about 30 folks call in, DuBose said adding that her highest call-in day resulted in 42 calls. “Even the average 30 per day is a lot when you consider the show is just one hour long and it also includes commercials and sponsor promos,” she said.

The callers hail from West Mobile to Loxley and all parts in between. “Many listen but never call in,” she said. Swap Shop callers cross all sociological, demographical and economical categories.

“The generosity of the people is just amazing, many have things they just want to donate. Perhaps they got it for free and now want to pass it on for free,“ she said. “Many times I’ll get a call-in response to a posted item and the the caller will say, “Tell that caller to call me; I have just what they are looking for.”

The “regulars” of the show know each other’s voices, DuBose said, “but they have never met in person. This party will give them that opportunity.”

DuBose invites everyone to come by, join the fun and shop from over a dozen vendors. In addition to Bay village Stone, The Pub, Greer’s Fairhope Market, Affordable Sewer and Drain, Baldwin Heating and Air and Zaxby's, will serve as sponsors.

Vendor registration deadline is May 15. To register or get more information, contact DuBose at WABF, 928-2384.