Sunday, April 27, 2014
By Sean Barron
CANFIELD
If you’re in the market for anything from hand-carved china to health-and-beauty products, bronze statues to books, a visit to the Canfield Fairgrounds today might be worthwhile.
“We’re trying to bring up things from $4 or $5 to hundreds of dollars,” said Mickey Cope Weaver, referring to the eclectic collectible items and antiques she’s selling.
Cope Weaver is among the vendors taking part in the 20th annual Angels for Animals garage sale that kicked off Friday and continues from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the fairgrounds off state Route 46.
All of the merchandise was donated to the organization, said Lee Moran, event chairwoman.
Today, everything is 50 percent off and admission is free, noted Diane Less, Angels’ founder and director.
People who buy $5 wristbands, however, can stay for a truck load sale to get underway at 3:15 p.m. today in which items left over will be given away, Less said, adding that $10 bands will be required for the antiques.
“We have something for the high-end collector and something for the novice collector,” said Cope Weaver, who owned Salem Estates Sales and Consignment before becoming president of Salem City Council.
On Saturday, plenty of people clustered around and bought items she was selling such as colorful, hand-made dishware from Hot Springs, Ark.-based Dryden Potteries Inc., collectible vintage and costume jewelry, china pieces, Waterford crystal, quilts and glassware from the Blenko Glass Co. of Milton, W.Va., said to be the nation’s oldest decorative-glass business.
In addition, Cope Weaver was selling for $250 a framed photograph of a boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier that Ali had autographed.
A sampling of other merchandise includes wooden decorations, stuffed animals, tin containers, kitchenware pieces and clothing that volunteers such as Ruth Nabb are selling.
Nabb, a volunteer who works with the facility’s cats on Fridays, was selling clothing for $5 per bag, along with individually-priced suits, dresses, skirts, pairs of shoes and coats. Also on hand are specialty items such as gowns as well as prom and wedding dresses.
“It’s a wonderful organization,” she said about Angels for Animals. “We spay and neuter all pets before they’re adopted and we’re trying to control the pet population as much as we can.”
Nabb added that her husband, Vernon Nabb, performed much of the masonry work for the shelter on state Route 165 in Green Township.
Another longtime volunteer and garage-sale regular is Ed Sebben of McDonald, a part-time maintenance worker at Angels who was selling wooden tables, rocking chairs, dressers, desks and other large and small pieces of furniture.
Sebben, who’s also a real-estate agent for Warren-based Principi Realty, said he appreciates Angels for Animals’ staff and volunteers who are committed to assisting dogs and cats in need of shelter.
“They’re good people dedicated to helping animals,” said Sebben, who returned to the organization in 2010 after having lived five years in Las Vegas.
Moran, the garage sale’s chairwoman, said she’s pleased that the event continues to grow each year.
“Some people save all year long at their houses for us,” she said, adding that much of the merchandise is donated when people move or lose a loved one.
Any unclaimed items after today’s truck load sale will be given to the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley and other area agencies and charities, Nabb said.