Something for everyone at annual sale

The warm weather didn't keep faithful bargain hunters from visiting Puget Island last weekend for the annual Puget Island Garage and Yard Sale.

Howard Brawn kept his usual post on Little Island, handing out maps and talking to visitors. At noon on Friday, he was excited to report that he had already handed out more maps that morning than he had in the same amount of time last year.

All the advertising that organizer Sandie York had done must have paid off.

The tables were full at the Kiwanis sale on Ostervold Road and volunteers were greeting the curious and talking about some of the more interesting items they had available.

"If you really want to see the rush you have to be here at 9 a.m.," Dan Tchozewski said.

"Earlier even," Maureen Zacher-Bockius pointed out. "There were people here at 8:30 a.m. offering to help us bring things out for the sale."

Vehicles lined the roadways in front of homes with sales and now and again small traffic jams slowed shoppers and other commuters.

Debbie Chamberlain was helping out at a yard sale on West Birnie Slough and seemed to be having a good time with her friends. The sun was pleasant but the dry weather was worrisome, and Chamberlain pointed out the evidence of a small grass fire that must have started and gone out on its own during the night.

One of the most idyllic sales was held on a bridge over a slough at a property on Cross Dike Road. Dogs wandered around, unconcerned by the visitors and men worked on the foundation of a new home while a young woman looked over horse tack and decorations for the home with her mother.

At the Norse Hall, things were winding down for the day. Despite the switch from tri-tip to pulled pork, there had still been a big rush for the annual lunch served by the Sons of Norway, according to Jan Silvestri, and she was expecting more people on Saturday.

More than 40 households got involved in the event this year.