Despite soggy skies, the weather didn’t dampen the spirits of Stettler and area community members, who queued up early on Friday morning, Sept. 23 to get some great bargains at the annual Kinette/IODE Rummage Sale.
One of the first ones to line up was Grade 8 student Chloe Strohschein from Stettler, who stood patiently with a list of what to get at the Stettler Curling Rink.
“We came here a little before 8:30 a.m. and my mom and sister are queued up in the other line,” said Strohschein. “I’m looking mainly for books and clue games.”
Even though the donations were down this year, according to co-chairs Cheryl Barros and Tanya Derr, the community support was once again unparalleled.
“The sale ran very smoothly, although our donations were down,” said Barros. “But our volunteers and the community support were amazing.”
With the Curling Rink and Agriplex filled with items, and crowds milling throughout Friday and Saturday, it was a well-organized and a well-attended event.
“I’ve been co-chairing for three years now, but we haven’t yet figured out a way to know the number of attendees,” Barros said. “We were discussing that it would be really cool to know how many people came over the two days.”
What did happen though this year was a “phenomenal” cleanup.
“We were able to have clean up done by Saturday, which was a first for us,” added Barros. “We are usually still cleaning up on the following Sunday, but this year it was different.”
According to Barros, roughly $30,000 was raised before expenses. Both the IODE and Kinettes donate all the funds back into the community.
“Right now, we do not have a project that we have earmarked yet,” Barros said.
It seems to be a cycle from one sale to the other as the Kinettes start planning for next year by booking venues way ahead of time.
“There are many behind-the-scene jobs that are done to help make the sale run seamlessly,” Barros said. “However, without the tremendous support of the two clubs and the great support of our community, this sale could not have happened.”
Barros thanked all the volunteers and added, “We’d also like to thank the Stettler Lightning, Stettler Minor Hockey and Stettler Lacrosse for sending many members out to help with set up and take down.”