Township yard sale proves popular

By VIRGINIA ROSS SHANK

One person’s trash could turn out to be another person’s treasure.

NORTH LIMA — Everything on Billie Armitage’s table was negotiable, the area woman explained during Beaver Township’s inaugural Trash & Treasure Sale.

“You think you want it, name a price and we’ll talk,” she said. “I want it all to go.”

For local folks such as Armitage, Saturday’s sale provided a great opportunity to clear out their attics, clean their basements and garages and turn their unwanted items into a few extra bucks.

The sale, sponsored by the Beaver Township Park Board, was the township’s first try at a community rummage sale. For $15 a spot, participants were able to rent a space at Woodworth Park, where they displayed items they hoped to sell to their neighbors.

“This is a good way to get rid of some old stuff,” said Karren Kerr, also of Beaver Township. “To me, it’s garbage now, but the things you don’t want or need anymore somebody else might actually want. That’s usually how it goes.”

Irene Calvin, township park board member and sale coordinator, said the board agreed to the rummage sale because several people had asked about having one. She said the goal was to make it a community sale and not a flea market.

“It’s like one big community garage or yard sale all in one spot,” she said. “People are already asking us to have another one.”

Despite some rain and early-afternoon storms, about 20 of the 25 participants who registered for the sale showed up for the event. Dozens of area residents steadily streamed into the park to see what their neighbors were offering.

Thelma Thomas of New Springfield said she frequents sales looking for bargains on household goods she wants or needs.

“I don’t really look for anything in particular,” she said. “I just look to see if anything catches my eye. I go to a lot of yard sales and garage sales,” she said. “This is nice because you have so many things in one place. Lots of people with lots for sale. You don’t have to drive around everywhere. It’s nice to have it like this.”

Though folks such as Kerr and Gloria DeLost, also of Beaver Township, offered Christmas decorations, knickknacks and other collectibles, Bruce Hamilton used his spot to sell his handmade “hillbilly golf” games. The object of the game is to get the string, which has a golf ball on each end, onto the post by standing at a distance away and tossing it.

“It’s becoming more and more popular, and this is a place people come and look for bargains,” he said. “I make these by hand and offer them at a bargain. It’s great.”

Calvin said the park board is considering combining a rummage sale with an arts-and-crafts show. She said she’s expecting more people to take advantage of the opportunity to sell their wares once they become aware of the event.

“I’d like to see this become part of our regular activities,” she said. “We have a lot going on at our township parks, and I think this is something a lot of people can really get involved in and make it more and more of a community event. I’m very pleased with how our first year turned out, even with the rain.

“If you can clean out your closets and make a few dollars from what you have, from your old stuff, that’s a really good thing,” she said. “If someone else gets what they want at a really good price, that’s even better. You can’t beat it.”