Legendary rummage sale accepting

HANSVILLE — Despite being described as the “granddaddy of all garage sales,” volunteers for the famous Hansville Rummage Sale aren’t about to let the event get long in the tooth. With this in mind supporters are already gathering as many items as possible for their summer extravaganza.

HANSVILLE — Despite being described as the “granddaddy of all garage sales,” volunteers for the famous Hansville Rummage Sale aren’t about to let the event get long in the tooth.

With this in mind supporters are already gathering as many items as possible for their summer extravaganza.

The sale — which annually draws bargain hunters from not only the North End, but other counties and states — will again take over the Greater Hansville Community Center in August, and volunteers are already hard at work.

“We’re actually starting a little later this year than every other year,” rummage sale organizer Howie O’Brien said of the collection slated for this Saturday. “After last year, people wanted another month to relax before doing it again.”

Though the holidays seem long gone by mid-January, the event will give residents an opportunity to clear clutter out of their garages, basements, attics and closets, said Greater Hansville Community Center president Tom Ritley.

“After the holidays, this is a way to recycle old things that are no longer needed,” he said. “The rummage sale is a great way to recycle old belongings.”

There are items the group will not accept, however, including Christmas decorations, incomplete beds, encyclopedias, condensed books, magazines, tires, wheels, tire chains, auto and marine batteries, exercise equipment, non-durable medical goods, luggage, computers and related equipment older than five years, printers, scanners, typewriters, homemade furniture, particle board furniture, windows, doors, adult underwear, socks and shoes, according to the Hansville Log newsletter.

“If we get something like boats, those are great items and they sell really well,” O’Brien said. “We’re not like the Bainbridge Island sale where they have cars and larger items. We definitely won’t do a tanning bed again, which we did last year. That just about killed us moving it around. That was definitely a one time deal.”

Books will be accepted, though they will not be sold at the rummage sale, O’Brien said.

There are now two separate books sales where literature can be purchased.

“We take everything that’s not listed in the (Hansville) Log,” said rummage sale co-chairwoman Lynn Hix. “We sort it all by department and store it off-site until August. There are about 30 people involved in this process all year.”

As the Aug. 11-12 sale nears, more and more volunteers will come out of the woodwork, Hix said. Any and all residents are welcome to assist during the drop-off days, sorting through and boxing up items.

“We’re just getting going organizing the sale,” Ritley said. “This is the normal cycle we usually follow. This sale is a major production, the organization is very extensive. This has been our schedule pretty much the last four or five years because the sale is so sizable.”

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