Wonderful weekend of sales set

Hundreds of people will converge on Sanders County this weekend for the 13th Annual Sanders Sale-ing event.

More than 60 yard sales, garage sales, moving sales and estate sales are planned for Friday and Saturday. Robin Hagedorn, with the Thompson Falls Main Street Committee, said that the number of sales are up this year and she expects a big crowd of buyers visiting the sales, from Heron to Dixon.

With the $20 fee sellers pay, the Sanders Sale-ing group purchases advertising and lists all of the sales on the website http://www.Sanders-Saleing.com. An interactive map is also available on the website. Hagedorn said some people have sales without signing up through Sanders Sale-ing, but the more people who sign up, the larger the advertising budget.

“The $20 and any sponsor fees we get increase our reach and the number of people who come here for the sales,” Hagedorn stated. She added that one seller signed up from Clark Fork, Idaho. Even though the advertising budget doesn’t afford Sanders Sale-ing to advertise in North Idaho, the seller wanted to be included and catch traffic coming from west of Sanders County.

Hagedorn also said that she has talked to local real estate agents, who reported that people looking at real estate will ask when the county wide sales are and come that weekend to look at real estate. “That’s why we keep it consistent on the last weekend in June,” Hagedorn said, noting that people are used to the sales being that weekend after 13 years.

Hagedorn said fellow Main Street Committee member Linda Rocheleau was instrumental in getting this year’s event organized, but they can always use more volunteers, especially when it comes distributing signs to the individual sellers. “Getting the signs to the sales in the outskirts is difficult,” said Hagedorn, who drove the county and delivered signs. Black Bear Coffee in Thompson Falls, Lakeside Resort in Trout Creek and Dew Duck Inn in Plains served as locations to pick up signs this year.

The communities of Sanders County are looking forward to a busy weekend. “I hope the sellers get rid of all of their wonderful stuff,” Hagedorn said, “and I hope the buyers not only come and find the treasures they like, but enjoy the area and definitely help spread the word and make plans to come back next year. I hope they see it’s a fun place to come, see the signs, eat at restaurants and visit businesses.”

The Thompson Falls Main Street Committee meets the second Thursday of each month at 8 a.m. at Minnie’s. For more information on the sales, go to http://www.Sanders-Saleing.com.