Some community yard sales proceed, others are scrapped, amid pandemic concerns

Treasure-seekers can expect plenty of room to maneuver on Friday when they check out the used household items Barbara Phillips will be offering for sale at her Derry Borough home.

Given the importance of social distancing during the covid-19 pandemic, Phillips said, “I’m trying to make sure my walkways are wider and there are not any bottlenecks where people can get in and can’t get out.”

Phillips is a participant and one of the organizers this year of Derry’s Great Garage Sale, a decades-old community yard sale that draws people in search of bargains to participating homes in the borough and surrounding Derry Township. The event is slated for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Such sales have become a summertime staple in several area communities. This year, pandemic concerns have caused the cancellation of some while others, like Derry’s, are pressing forward.

Phillips stepped in to keep Derry’s sale on track after the event’s previous organizer opted not to hold it and “a lot of people were very unhappy,” she said.

This week’s sale has attracted 86 vendors at individual locations — one of the largest list of participants in recent years, Phillips said. At least 11 vendors have reserved spaces in the Mastrorocco’s Market parking lot, where a port-a-john will be available.

The list of participating locations will be posted on the event’s Facebook page.

Derry First United Methodist Church and Derry Presbyterian Church both will be participating in the sale. But, Phillips said, “They have closed their bathrooms, which is going to be a little bit of a challenge over normal times.”

Derry Presbyterian Church, after initial reluctance, decided to once more welcome garage sale visitors to its fellowship hall. But, as part of pandemic precautions, they’ll be required to wear face masks and are being asked to use hand sanitizer that will be available.

“We didn’t want to break the tradition,” said Presbyterian church secretary Paula Shean. “We’re taking precautions so that everyone is safe.”

Phillips urged all vendors to be mindful of pandemic health guidelines, noting some have indicated they will require masks. “The biggest thing is to do what you feel safe doing,” she said.

Organizers also advised vendors to stock up on coins, which haven’t been as readily available during the pandemic.

As long as the weather cooperates, Phillips sees no reason why this year’s Derry sale won’t be well-attended. State-led pandemic restrictions have kept many people at home, giving sellers more time to clean out their closets and making buyers more anxious to get out and shop.

“The Facebook flea market pages have opened up a whole new venue for people to sell their things,” Phillips said. “That has been a competition for the yard sales, but there are people who still want to go out and dig in a box.”

South Greensburg held its town yard sale on Saturday, after pandemic-related uncertainty caused postponement from the normal date, the first Saturday in June.

According to Jennifer Detore, the borough’s recreation director, 90% of residents who responded to a survey supported holding the delayed sale. A concurrent sub sale, however, was canceled.

About 40 sellers registered to participate.

“That was a little bit lower than in previous years, but it seemed a lot more people were out,” Detore said. “A lot of people were selling and were happy about making a little extra money when times are tough.

”Everybody was really respectful. A lot of people had masks on and there was a lot of hand sanitizer out.”

Bolivar’s annual community yard sale went off without a hitch on June 20, according to borough secretary Patricia Betts. Sale participants in the town of less than 500 residents don’t have to sign up, unless they want to reserve one of the spots available at the fire hall.

“Almost half the town participated,” Betts said. “It was a nice turnout. I think people are just glad to get out.”

Youngwood Borough and the Regent Square neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s East End are among communities that have canceled yard sales in the face of the pandemic.

The Regent Square Civic Association posted that it scrapped its July 18 sale “to keep our neighbors as safe and healthy as possible.”

The Youngwood sale, begun in 2001 by the Youngwood Area Revitalization and Development organization, was to have been held on the second Saturday in June.

The sale has been growing in size for years, according to YARD President Mary Ann Klingensmith. “People would come from miles around,” she said. “Some people even planned their vacations around the sale.”

The event had become a major fundraising opportunity for the town’s churches, which have featured food sales. But Klingensmith said the organizing committee was concerned about the health implications of people gathering in close proximity at sale locations and in church halls.

Based on social media comments, Klingensmith said, “a lot of people were upset and thought it was not necessary to cancel.” Individual households were free to go ahead with their own sales on June 13, and some did, she said.

Canceling the organized sale was “a tough decision,” she said. “We thought it was the best thing to do for the community, the residents and the people traveling here.”