I had heard about
the Penny Sale to raise money for the local church but I didn't know what it
was...until a few months ago.
Last year
My-Friend-Donna-who-lives-in-town called to give me the dates for the Penny
Sale and I was really disappointed that I couldn't make it. For me moving to the country meant getting
involved in the local community and this was a great opportunity and I had to
miss it. Well - I guess I went on and on
about how sorry I was to have missed it because Donna decided that they would
change the night - just-for-me. I felt
so special!
I didn't realise at
the time that she had ulterior motives…(smile).
Planning work began
in October. She and her DH tried really
hard to explain the whole thing to me. I
must have looked as confused as I felt because she suddenly had a bright idea. Come with me and a few friends to the Seniors
Penny Sale the next town over and you'll get to see it all in action.
After a full
afternoon with someone giving me the tour I finally understood - my visual
learning style came out! It was a great
community bonding event and a lot of fun.
For those of you who
don't know what I'm talking about here's the basics.
- A wild and varied assortment of gently used and new items are donated to the cause by community members who set things aside or make beautifully handcrafted items all year long just so they can donate them.
- All the items are set out on tables - much like a giant bazaar room - and each item has a cup attached to it.
- First you pay a $2.00 admission fee that gets you coffee, tea and goodies.
- Then you buy penny sale tickets - One big ticket stub with 25 little stubs - all with the same number on them. (It used to be 100 tickets for $1.00 - now it's 75 - inflation I guess - thus the term "Penny Sale")
- You cruise the selection and drop your tickets into the cups of the items you are interested in.
- After a set time everyone settles in to hear the numbers being drawn and the winners have the items delivered right to their seats.
My biggest hint is to
start ripping apart your ticket stubs at home - it took much longer than I
thought it would and by the end I had the whole family furiously ripping stubs
as the time to leave to serve the coffee drew near!
It was a fantastic
night. Aunt Ruby's canning, Donna's
quilted pillows and stockings and the bake table were among the
highlights. If all goes well you end up
with the things you wanted - like the 100th anniversary commemorative
plates and mugs from the local church or some quilted stockings!
I spent the first
part of the night serving coffee and tea and trying hard to remember everyone's
names. At least the faces are getting
more and more familiar!
DH and I sat with two
of our kids and Mr. Farmer - the previous owner of Shalom Engedi Farms. I was feeling sorry for him because none of
his numbers were being pulled but then I found out he had placed ALL his tickets
in the baking area. When the numbers
were called for the bake table he had a big grin on his face - I think he
bought lots of tickets! He really likes
baking. He even accidentally won a jar
of jam which he promptly traded someone for more baking - guess I know what to
make him for Christmas!
It takes time to
build relationships but it's worth it. I
love my small community...and I'm already looking forward to next year - besides I need to win a match to my quilted pillow!
