The final day of the annual White Elephant Sale (WES) hosted by the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme is today from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and most prices are discounted by 50 percent.
The sale opened yesterday at 9 a.m. precisely — but you can be sure that wasn’t be the same time that the first customers arrive! People were standing in pole positions around the roped-off lawn outside the church much earlier vying for positions to snap up potential bargains spotted from a distance.
This is the 78th successive year that the sale has been held and it is firmly established as one of the main events on both the town and church calendars.
Garage and rummage sales are regular events, but few can match the size and color of this one. The sale items are organized into some 20 departments that fill the church buildings and every available space on the lawn.
The sale is sponsored by the Ladies Benevolent Society (LBS) of the church and raises money for missions and good works both locally and through out the world. Beneficiaries run the gamut from food pantries, health organizations, family support centers, children’s programs, world relief, housing and many many more.
Now so large, the sale has not only become a community event but also one that many visitors plan their vacations around so as to attend or work the WES. In fact, many donations and a number of workers are from non-church members. All 200 or so volunteers pitch in for two weeks collecting, sorting, pricing and organizing items awaiting the big day on Friday when the crowds anxiously gather outside the ropes surrounding the church.
When the clock in the bell tower strikes nine, the ropes come down and the shoppers run for their favorite departments looking for those hidden treasures. There is lunch and soda to refresh the shoppers so they can repeat the same process again on Saturday morning, but then the sale starts at 8 a.m. and runs through noon, and most prices are discounted 50 percent.
Click to view a video of a recent sale on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
For further information, call the church office at 860-434-8686, option 5.