The Rummage Sale

For many years there have been two annual rummage sales in the basement of St. Augustine's Church, one supporting Birthright and the other St. Augustine School. The sales have been among the largest in the area in terms of stuff and shoppers. Their popularity is enhanced by the low prices: $2.00 per bag on Friday and $1.00 a bag on Saturday. Here are some pictures of what is involved.

Setup starts the Sunday before. Tables have to be moved and the basement prepared.
Then the stuff arrives. Some years there is a great deal. This last sale, October 2008, was on the small side.

There is a bunch of loyal volunteers who work set up every sale. It takes a long day to sort all the material and set it all out on the tables.

Here is what the tables look like before a big sale.
There is a mass of people who arrive on Friday morning looking for bargains. They do find them.

By Friday afternoon there is still plenty left.
The crowds are smaller on Saturday, but the shoppers are as determined.
At noon, the cleanup crew takes over and sees how fast they can put it all away. The leftovers go to Jasper Junction, which sends a truck. For the past few sales there have been volunteers from St. Joseph's College helping with clean up.

In some years we have filled a truck this size with the leftovers. I am not sure how we did this year--I was not on the loading crew. When the truck is loaded and the basement put back to order, we are finished.
The sale of October, 2008 set a new record for fast clean up. It was all over in half an hour.