Edgecomb’s Five Mile Yard Sale attracts hundreds

Tue, 08/14/2018 - 8:15am

    Peanut Conner and Tiger Dalton know a good deal when they see it. The Southport married couple are typical yard sale-goers. Each week, they scour local papers for locations where the next great deal might be found in somebody’s yard.

    Their job is made easier each August, as Cross Point Road residents in Edgecomb hold their annual Five Mile Yard Sale. Nobody knows when the annual tradition began, but seemingly everyone knows when it’s held: the second Saturday of August.

    And this year was no different. The sale began at 8 a.m. and ended sometime after 2 p.m.  On Aug. 11, the event  attracted over 100 shoppers by 10:30 a.m., according to the Norgang family.

    Conner and Dalton were two of the eager shoppers attending the Norgangs' yard sale looking for deals. Conner found two books, one by Nelson De Mille (“The Cuban Affair”) and the other by Louis L’Amour (“Jubal Sackett”). “Louis L’Amour, I know he’s good and it’s a first edition, too. The owner showed it to me,” Conner said.

    Searching for interesting goods isn’t the only thing attracting Conner to yard sales. She thought the Norgangs' old barn was a spectacle in itself. “It’s beautiful, and I knew we just had to stop if anything just to take a better look at it,” she said.

    Conner and Dalton have attended the Five Mile Yard Sale for an estimated seven years. Each year, the couple looks for a good deal and Conner also looks for some good conversation. “I do it for the socialization. I like talking to people and love to see interesting things."

    The sale was also good for her husband. Dalton is a boatbuilder. He found a band saw languishing inside the Norgangs' barn. Dalton already has three band saws, but he is sure there is a future use for his fourth. “I don’t really need it. I wasn’t looking for one, but once I saw it, I bought it,” he said.

    The Norgangs are also happy with their sales. The family moved to Edgecomb in 2014. They have participated in the community yard sale each year. “I think it’s really cool everybody has a yard sale on the same day,” Lynn Norgang said. “When you move there’s always a lot of stuff you need to get rid of. So it’s nice finding someone who wants things we no longer have a use for. Whatever we don’t sell, we will either donate to the church’s rummage sale or sell next year.”

    Across the street, Edgecomb Congregational Church has a wide selection of donated goods for sale. The church is raising money to replace its steeple. The church has already raised $25,000 of its $35,000 goal from various fundraisers including past Five Mile Yard Sales.

    Church volunteer Dick O’Connor said the Five Mile Yard Sale has a been a successful venture for more than a decade. “It's a great event with a lot of participation every year,” he said.

    This year, there were eight yard sales along Cross Point Road.