“They’re probably in those vans over there, filming all this,” says my host Jim, gesturing toward a small parking area. “There are a lot of feds here today.”
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We’re watching a steady stream of people flow between the four buildings that dot the otherwise deserted fairgrounds in Grayslake. The mostly white, male crowd tends toward facial hair and front-facing baseball caps with insignias for Jack Daniels, Harley-Davidson, the Dallas Cowboys, and Walt Disney. A few have guns, but most carry ammo boxes and gym bags containing other gun-related paraphernalia.
“Look at all the geeks here,” Jim says derisively, pointing to a family of four decked out in full camouflage.
Several booths have Vietnam-era bumper stickers blasting Jane Fonda (“Vietnam Vets are not FONDA JANE”) or making defiant proclamations (“Kill ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out”). A placard beneath a Nazi flag warns interested parties that it’s “Not for Sale.” Across the aisle a woman in full cammo breast-feeds her baby behind a table displaying a Belgian assault rifle.
