Annual church rummage sale to return July 4

OurEach year Our Lady of Sorrows evolves into a sort of department store leading up to July 4.

Once the church’s school lets out in May, shelves are installed throughout its gym, and volunteers start regular shifts to sort clothes, test electronics and organize books for the annual Trash ‘n’ Treasure rummage sale. 

Sale chairman Melanie Falconer said she has seen everything including, literally, the kitchen sink come in over the years — doors, a car, old windows, wedding dresses, pianos, ukuleles and an accordion.

The sale will be held as a part of the 65th Annual Our Lady of Sorrows Church Independence Day Festival scheduled for Friday, July 4, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on the church grounds. On the day of the sale, shoppers can arrive as early as 8 a.m.; the first 400 people can donate $5 for early bird admission. All others can enter for free starting at 9 a.m.

The festival will feature barbecue, a raffle, games for all ages and the rummage sale. 

“People come get some great barbecue and play some games with kids, but a lot of people come for the garage sale,” Falconer said.

In recent years, the sale has outgrown the church’s gym. Bikes and tools now line the sidewalk outside of it, and furniture, lamps and artwork fill a 4,800-square-foot tent outside.

“We get good stuff because people know it’s going to help the church,” Falconer said. “People will save things all year until we start collecting them.”

When she first got involved with the sale 26 years ago, Falconer said there were four clothing racks and a bunch of tables for the items. Today it takes a week to set up the event’s shelving alone, much of which came from Blockbuster when its stores closed.

Barbecue sales at the festival have grown exponentially over the years as well. The Knights of Columbus, a fraternal organization in the Catholic Church, smoke two tons of ribs, chicken and pork in pits in the back of the church over three days to prepare for the Fourth.

On July 5, rummage sale items will be half price from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. All items left at that point are given to charities. Falconer said it’s fulfilling to know that the items can be useful to someone else.

“I also like it when someone tells me they found something there they had been looking for, something that goes with something they already had at home, or reminds them of their childhood,” Falconer said.

Beyond the end-of-sale donations, all funds from the sale are given to nonprofit causes. One third goes to the church, one third to its school and one third to a charity. For the past two years the charity has been Saint Vincent de Paul, which provides support to people in need in the community, and in previous years, it went toward mission churches in Mexico.

Around 100 Trash ‘n’ Treasure team members officially began their busy season of preparations on May 21. Throughout June, they worked three to four days a week organizing and pricing items for the sale. One person is in charge of testing lamps, another tries out electronics, while another polishes furniture and others organize books. 

“It takes a lot of volunteers,” Falconer said. “There are a lot of us who get a lot out of it when we see everyone in line and how everyone loves how organized it is.”

Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church is located at 1728 Oxmoor Road. For more information, call 871-8121.