For three days every August, quiet downtown Oronoco becomes an antique mecca as hundreds of sellers of well-aged and vintage collectables descend on this southeast Minnesota town for Gold Rush Days.

The festival is celebrating its 53rd birthday this year, said event president Melissa Griggs. It’s got a national reach.

“Over the 53 years, you could name any state in the United States, and we probably have had people here selling from that state,” said Griggs. “We have shoppers that come that far.”

Vendors sell everything from the expected, like antique furniture to the whacky — think a life-sized metal alien.

And Gold Rush Days is more than just antiques, said Griggs.

“We have a kids zone. We have a duck derby. We have a community medallion hunt that goes on all weekend. We have a para

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