“Paul (Upshaw) said this is going to be our last sale, but he’s been saying that the last two or three years,” Bill Mentzer said this morning as he watched the Calvary United Methodist Church’s annual three-day rummage sale unfold.
The sale, in the church’s annex at 118 W. Jackson Ave., will reopen at 7 a.m. Friday and again at 8 a.m. Saturday.
“It’s a lot of work to get one of these ready,” Mentzer said.
Two or three weeks?
“No, a lot longer than that,” he said. “People bring stuff in early in the year and for this one we also have things from Bill Moore’s estate.”
Moore, a longtime Iolan and Calvary regular, died in January.
Acquiring the clothes, kitchen gadgets, cookware, dishes, books and other things to sell, through the generosity of members, is just the starting point. Once in hand, everything has to be sorted, priced and then in the week of the sale laid out on tables, both in the annex and the church’s basement. Some years both areas are filled to overflowing. This year’s is slightly smaller.
In addition to “rummage,” the sale features freshly baked goods.
Most of the members involved in the sale have remained the same, which, Mentzer allows, gives some force to Upshaw’s annual admonition.
“If we don’t get some younger people involved, I don’t know how much longer we can keep it going,” he said.
The warning seemed slightly premature. All those onboard showed no signs of slowing, despite most are well in their retirement years.
Saundra Upshaw, Barbara Sherrill and Betty Nelson darted about helping a handful of customers. Phyllis Luedke, Colony, was in the market for drapes. Others considered clothing and kitchen wares.
The helpers quickly totaled bills for buyers and had pleasant words for all, regardless of whether they made a purchase.
Still other workers made sure the multitude of merchandise on tables was kept in an orderly fashion.
The last sale? Probably not.
