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Annual benefit sale adds evening hours
McCOOK, Nebraska -- Change comes to all things, and even though the McCook, Nebraska, Humane Society's annual rummage sale has worked well for 31 years, it too will see changes this year.
"Changes -- all to make things better for the buyers at the sale, for our supporters and ultimately, for our animals," says Anne Dowd, humane society president.
The big changes will be two "evening sales," bag sales on Tuesday, April 16, and Thursday, April 18 that will allow early-bird buyers extra hours to shop for treasures and trinkets.
The big sale days will be Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21.
All sales are in the 4-H Building on the Red Willow County fairgrounds in the 1500 block of West Fifth in McCook.
Rummage sale activities will follow this schedule this year:
DROP-OFF DAYS
* Monday, April 8; Tuesday, April 9; Wednesday, April 10; and Thursday, April 11 -- Drop off items from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., in the 4-H Building on the fairgrounds.
* Saturday, April 13, drop off items from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.
* Monday, April 15; Tuesday, April 16; Wednesday, April 17; and Thursday, April 18 -- Drop off from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.
NOW, for the EVENING BAG SALES
* Tuesday, April 16, and Thursday, April 18, volunteers will man the cash registers for "bag sales," from 5:30 p.m. until 8 p.m., both evenings, selling merchandise for $5 per bag (Wal-Mart-size plastic bags). Anne says, "All volunteers will be needed -- please plan to be there."
"FLUFF AND FOLD" DAYS
NO DONATIONS ACCEPTED
* Friday, April 12, will be a "fluff and fold day" for the volunteers starting at 1 p.m. Volunteers will not accept items that day.
* Friday, April 19 will be another "fluff and fold day" for volunteers starting at 9 a.m., to finalize display and arrangement of the sale items for the final two big sale days. Volunteers will not accept donations that day.
BIG SALE DAYS
* Saturday, April 20, is the first big sale day. The doors will open wide at 9 a.m., sharp (after a countdown by volunteers) and close at 5 p.m.
* Sunday, April 21, is the final big sale day. The doors will be open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Anne said volunteers are needed each day of collecting and the sales. "Just show up and volunteer," she encourages.
Volunteers will accept clean, gently-used clothing and shoes of all sizes and seasons; hand tools, electric tools, chainsaws and shop/garage supplies; bedding and pillows; toys and dolls; purses and luggage; furniture, lamps and decorating items; books and magazines; records, DVD's, movies and CD's; lawn and garden items; holiday decor; craft items and supplies; small kitchen appliances and dishes, cups and glasses; bikes, trikes, scooters, sleds, skates and skateboards; and knick-knacks of all sorts.
Many very nice items and antiques and collectibles are researched and placed on a silent auction, Anne said.
"What we cannot accept are large appliances -- we can't guarantee a buyer that they work; water beds -- we can't guarantee they don't leak and they take up so much space; and computers and their towers and their mouses -- they're obsolete and we have no place to take them if they don't sell," Anne said.
By state law, buyers will be charged sales tax. Shoplifters will be prosecuted, or made to scoop poop.
Volunteers and staff at the humane society's animal shelter ask that nothing be dropped off at the shelter because they don't have room to store anything nor do they have pickups to transfer it.
Volunteers will also not have pickups or the manpower for delivery of purchased items the days of the sale.