ld Ottawa South's annual "Porch Sale" has become a fall tradition. The second Saturday of September, thousands of bargain-hunters from all over Old Ottawa South and other communities have joined local university students to encourage us to clean out our attics and basements, to socialize with old friends we haven't seen all summer and to make new residents feel welcome.
Our first "Porch Sale" was held 8 years ago. Seneca Avenue resident Bart St. John-Smith and the Pansy Avenue neighborhood association drew on the inspiration of the Great Glebe Garage sale held that spring.
According to Bart, he doesn't remember who came up with the "porch" sale concept, but it took hold immediately. Since the first community-wide event, it has averaged 300 participating households and has raised, in total, over $15,000 for worthwhile community projects.
This year's porch sale planning team was lead by OSCA board member Anne-Marie Corbett, assisted by a group of activity leaders. Help also came from fellow OSCA board members, community centre staff, and our local merchants. This was Anne-Marie's first year on the OSCA Board and as porch sale organizer.
Veteran committee members included Willi Devonish, who again coordinated her two-dozen friends and neighbors as they canvassed the hundreds of participating households collecting donations.
According to OSCA past-president Doug Stickley, Willi's abilities in this area are "simply outstanding." "She not only always gets the job done," explains Doug, "everyone working with her has fun doing it." Money donated by participating households is still coming in at the Firehall, but Willi expects the porch sale to again raise several thousand dollars for community-related purposes.
Another returning veteran on Anne-Marie's team was David Bouse, who helped out with promotion, business community liaison, and gap-filling duties when other team members were away on summer holidays.
New to the Porch Sale 2000 team was Sherry Lynn, member of the Firehall's activities and programs group. Sherry's role included coordination of advertising and putting up posters.
OSCA president John Graham would like to express his appreciation to the organizing committee, especially Anne-Marie, for another successful year raising funds for community-related projects. According to John, OSCA's board is looking forward this fall to suggestions from the community on how Porch Sale 2000 donations might best be used.
This event could not have been such a success without the generosity of numerous local merchants, as well as the Old Ottawa South Business Association (OOSBA). This year, four merchant "partners" helped out in an especially big way - serving as information centres on September 9.
Porch Sale organizers wish to thank the staff & management from West Coast Video, Boomerang Kids, Ottawa South Groceteria (Seneca & Sunnyside) and Dairy Queen.
Over fifty merchant sponsors helped out in many other ways with balloons, product donations or services and otherwise helping celebrate this year's event. A complete list of merchant contributors will appear in next month's edition of OSCAR.
Porch Sale 2000 volunteers included Doug Stickley, who put up the A-frame sandwich boards advertising the upcoming event and Kristina Liljefors (OSCA treasurer) who is looking after receipt of all money donated by participating families.
Cathy Buchanan, Dinos Dafiniotis and the other Firehall staff were again a big help answering phones and providing organizational backup.
One of the Porch Sale 2000 organizers suggested an award for community service should be given to our Firehall staff in recognition of their tremendous and valued contribution to this and other neighborhood activities. Many other local groups agree that we should find ways to show our appreciation to this community's outstanding Firehall staff.
And finally, the youngest organizers this year were Kate and Emily MacGregor-Staple. On their own, they coordinated the hand-coloring of 200 posters and 300 Dairy Queen cone certificates for everyparticipating household. Kate and Emily were only three years old when recruited to help out with our first porch sale in 1993.
You might have noticed some of the Porch Sale posters were not very high off the ground. That was because the volunteers reached as high as they could. Now, grade 6 students at Hopewell, Kate and Emily recruited other young neighborhood children to put up as many kid-colored posters as possible!
Everyone involved wants to thank the management & staff of West Coast Video and the Dairy Queen for a free video & popcorn and a free cone for each of Kate and Emily's helpers (all between the ages of 2 and 7).