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Rummage sale rife with steals and finds

Melanie WongVail, CO Colorado
NWS Rummage Sale PU 8-18-07
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MINTURN – The sun was rising on the line that wound out the door, around the corner and down the road at the valley’s annual rummage extravaganza. “We left at 3 a.m. this morning, and we were still 30 people from the front of the line,” said Bill Slaughter, of Delta. He came looking for golf clubs and was successful with two sets at $100 each.The 43rd Eagle Valley Community Fund Auction and Rummage Sale at Maloit Park in Minturn kicked off Saturday, boasting 14 rooms piled high with everything imaginable.And I mean everything.”It’s a ‘something for everyone’ kind of theory,” volunteer Tamra Converse said. “You try and become not opinionated because what you laugh at, someone always buys it.” The knickknack and home decoration sections always have the strangest things, she said.

Veteran volunteer Margo Peter said there should be a “What is it?” section for all the mystery items the sale receives.”I see items no one would want when we’re sorting, but then at the cash register, someone will have it and think it’s such a steal,” she said.Here are some priceless items found at this year’s sale:

– A nearly 3-feet tall ceramic pig. “I don’t know what you’d use it for, but someone was buying it,” said Susan Ayer of Delta.- Snail or dinosaur statue (unclear which), about 1 foot long. The mystery animal was made of yellow, brown and green glass resembling melted wax. At a price of $2, it was receiving a lot of attention but was still on the shelf.- Orphaned ski poles for 25 cents each. These were ordinary items unless you found an ingenious use for them. Barbara Kaup, of Denver, said she saw one woman buying them as stakes for her tomato garden.”She said they’re cheaper than actual stakes, they won’t rust, and they’re better looking,” Kaup said.



The rummage sale is a great place to pick up unique clothing. You may find the perfect Halloween costume, or someone’s closet rejects may truly be your dream outfit.Sunny Davis, of Edwards, was looking for an outfit to wear to a Burning Man concert in Nevada. A pair of metallic-silver, knee-high boots for $3 were her find of the day. Along the way she also picked up:- A hot-pink headband with poofy tassle and fringe.- A towering, fake-fur cap, perfect for skiing with Vail high society.- A black cape.She also said she saw a pair of size 14 men’s black leather, 4-inch platform boots. When she went back to show them to her friends, she said, they were gone.”Someone is walking around with them,” she said.One of the best deals may have been in the denimn section, said Grand Junction resident Karen Barkus. She found a pair of designer Seven for Mankind jeans for $5.Also sitting among some miscellaneous items were “re-energizer briefs” for when “it’s fallen and it can’t get up.” These were found in the brand-new items room, still boxed and unopened. One has to wonder why.

While interesting items come through the sale every year, some have stood out, said longtime sale director Vi Brown.Among her favorites:- A 5-foot-tall, hand-carved, wooden statue of a hand flashing the middle finger. It sold for $10 on the first day of the sale.- A plastic shower curtain decorated with naked women for less than $5. “For a good 4 or 5 years, it kept coming back,” Brown said. “We like to think someone was bringing it back and buying it every year.”The sale is still going on in full force today and next weekend, when everything is half price. So whether you just want to check out the goods or you have a shopping list made, there is something for everyone at the rummage sale. =======What: 43rd Eagle Valley Community Fund Auction and Rummage Sale.When: Today and Aug. 25 to 26. 6:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.Where: Maloit Park, Minturn.=======Staff Writer Melanie Wong can be reached at 748-2928 or mwong@vaildaily.com.


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