OLD LYME — They kept it going through World War II, but last year — for the first time in 83 consecutive years — the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme had to cancel their White Elephant Sale (WES) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked if this year’s sale was going ahead, Bob Davis, who has been chairing the WES for some 20 years, said by email, “We are currently in a holding pattern waiting to see the impact of the vaccination program, the state’s approval of large crowds and the final approval of our ministers.”
He continued, “The WES Board met in December, as usual, to plan for this years sale. We looked at shifting the dates to late summer and fall to buy us time; but either Christ The King church parking was unavailable or we ran into other organization’s events and a fall venue with folks back to school and work is not practical for a two day sale.”
Davis added, “With that, the board decided to keep to our original schedule of July 9 and 10 [for 2021.]”
He concluded by explaining that the WES Board would continue, “… reserving tents, parking, banners, etc. hoping for the best.”
Expressing an optimistic air, Davis said, “Those eligible for vaccinations, hopefully will be receiving them soon and we can look forward to some normalcy in our lives with the WES.”
Editor’s Note: We will update this information as further decisions are taken regarding whether or not the WES will take place.
will you be having the white elephant sale this weekend? Please advise.
Thank you!
The White Elephant Sale is cancelled this year. Please see this article published April 20, 2021 which relates to the cancellation announcement being made: https://lymeline.com/2021/04/old-lyme-churchs-2021-white-elephant-sale-cancelled-the-prudent-thing-to-do-r-davis-wes-chair/
Thank you for your comment. We will publish a reminder for all our readers that there will be no Sale this year.