Heavenly deals?

WEST PITTSTON - A buck doesn’t go as far as it used to, but one West Pittston church has found a way to help its community land some bargains and experience a little old-fashioned community togetherness at the same time.

Trinity Episcopal Church has been hosting large community yard sales for the last three years, according to the Rev. John Major. The pastor said the church’s Parish Life Events Committee originally proposed the first spring yard sale three years ago to fulfill its mission of building community both inside and outside the church. Major said the event was so successful, it was held again in the fall. Now, the sale is a monthly event, held each first Saturday from May to October.

With 20 to 30 vendors and hundreds of shoppers each month, Major said the sale has become a church fundraiser everyone enjoys. “There’s minimal set-up,” he said, requiring only a few volunteers. Two of those volunteers on hand Saturday were Shane Sonday, 8, and Erica Kline, 11. “Shane’s our muscle,” said Major. Sonday, who said he does everything from setting up the church’s own sale table to locking up at the end of the day, said he helps “because it’s making money for the church and I like the church.” Kline said she helps Sonday “because it’s fun and it’s good for the cause.”

Major said the shady West Pittston neighborhood also seems to enjoy having the yard sale around, noting he’s seen other yard sale signs popping up to coincide with the church’s sale. “The neighborhood is not disappointed that there is a positive event happening in their community,” Major said. “And the vendors like it, too. Most come back every month. They tell me it’s in their blood.”

Most first Saturdays find West Wyoming resident Rita Galenty at the church yard well before 7 a.m. to set up her tables full of vintage linens, glassware and collectibles. For Galenty, the sale is a chance to resell some of her own purchases from years of estate sales. “I like the church sales, and with the gas situation, it’s nice to be able to stay close to home,” she said. “This is a nice community event.”

Laflin resident Betty Szumski was back at the sale for the second time selling items ranging from fishing rods to clothing, decorative household items and a colorful set of children’s walkie-talkies. She said the $10 she pays to rent a table is fair and the site gets a lot of traffic. “I just like it here,” she said.

Besides the items offered by Szumski and Galenty, bargain hunters could find both new and used toys and apparel, all sorts of household items, collectibles, sunglasses and even name-brand personal-care items like $1-a-tube toothpaste and packs of razors that normally sell for $5 or more for $2.50. Refreshments like chili dogs and french fries are available, as well as baked goods from a church-sponsored bake sale.

“You can always get something you need or something you didn’t know you needed until you saw it,” said yard sale aficionado Bonnie Edwards. The West Pittston resident said she’s a regular at the sale. “It’s nice to have a lot of vendors in one place,” she said. “It’s a nice sale and I always find something.”

One thing the 200-member church hopes people will find while at the sale is a friendly community. “This is a way to show our community we’re here and we care,” said volunteer Phil Gelso. “I enjoy donating my time to this because you can find a real treasure here, and because everyone is smiling, saying ‘How are you?’ and just being very nice, and there isn’t enough of that today.”

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