Vankleek Hill’s town-wide yard sale takes place on Saturday, June 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
This is the 18th annual event and as usual, out-of-town vendors are welcome to set up shop in prime spots along Main Street. If you are an out-of-town vendor looking for a space, call 1-877-678-3327, extension 1002 to book a spot for just $20. Parking lots and other commercial spots with good visibility are ready to receive vendors, who can start setting up as early as 7 a.m. on June 3; these spaces must be reserved ahead of time.
Throughout the town, residents will be holding their own yard sales along with friends and neighbours they have invited to town to set up for this day, when Champlain Township waives the requirement for a garage sale permit.
Vankleek Hill residents are reminded that they can contribute to the fun by inviting friends from out of town to come and hold garage sales in town to ensure the event is a fun day for bargain-hunters.
“The success of this event is simple. It is about the fun. Every year, I invite friends who live in the country to come where the people are and they have a great garage sale day at my home. I know a lot of us in Vankleek Hill do this and it is what makes this day a success. We have extra help at our own homes and share duties and we each get time to do the rounds in town,” says organizer Louise Sproule, who has been involved in the event since its inception. The event has been organized by the Vankleek Hill Business and Merchant Association since the idea for the town-wide yard sale came forward from member Carole Robert.
“These days, everyone is reducing their possessions, but somehow, we always have room to pick up a few more things at Trash and Treasure,” Sproule says.
This year, those holding yard sales are invited to share a small amount of their sale proceeds by making a donation to Opportunity Knox, the volunteer group which is raising funds to bring a Syrian refugee family to the Vankleek Hill area. Donations in the form of cash or cheques can be brought to The Review offices at 76 Main Street East in Vankleek Hill during business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) during the month of June. You will be asked for your name and complete mailing address; charitable donation receipts will be issued by Opportunity Knox. More than half of the $40,000 fundraising goal has been raised. The group is also hosting its own garage sale at 40 Derby Avenue in Vankleek Hill on Trash and Treasure Day.
The not-for-profit Vankleek Hill Music Festival is also getting into the act, hosting a musical sale at 76 Main Street (The Review) in Vankleek Hill on Trash and Treasure Day, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Leading up to the event, the public is invited to bring donations of CDs, vinyl, audio equipment, radios, sheet music, instruments and all things musical to The Review offices. Volunteers will sort the items, which will go on sale at 9 a.m. sharp on Trash and Treasure Day.
Outdoor toilets will be installed courtesy of the Vankleek Hill Business and Merchant Association, which organizes this event every year. Signs on Main Street will direct visitors to these porta-potties. Proceeds from the $20 rental fee and all donations help to offset the cost of washrooms and advertising.
Visit the outdoor information table at 95 Main Street East, where students employed by the merchant association will have bottles of cold water for sale and will answer your questions and direct you to the washrooms, which will be installed in the parking lot behind the Tolhurst & Miller law offices. There will be signs to direct you.
You can find information and tips about Trash and Treasure and view other community events online at: www.vankleekhill.ca
