Interested in a deal? (And who isn’t?) Hate to pay retail? (And who doesn’t?) Just eager for a sign of spring? (You betcha.)

The marvelous news is that the Rotary Barn is opening for our fifth season on April 5, the first Saturday in April. We will open at 8:30 a.m. and close promptly at 11 a.m. that day and every Saturday throughout the spring, summer and autumn. Insiders know that the Barn offers gently used furniture, tools, housewares, art, boats and trailers, and just about everything else you can conceive of at low, low prices. And what’s more: our Rotary Club reinvests all the money it raises by giving back to the community. It’s a win-win-win.

So whether you have stuff to donate, or are looking for a bargain – or maybe both – Saturday mornings at the Rotary Barn, located at 66 Montgomery Avenue, is the place to be.

Interesting in donating previously treasured stuff? Leave a message on 207-619-1417 or email rotarybarnpickup@gmail.com. Rotarian Greg will get back to you and arrange a pickup. And while we generally love your stuff, as a reminder, there are things we don’t take, either because we’ve learned they don’t sell well or because their weight is not worth the sale price (we are all volunteers, you know). On the verboten list:

1. Large major appliances (dorm fridges okay but nothing larger)

2. Beds/bedframes/mattresses

3. Electronics

4. Exercise equipment, dog crates

5. Sleeper sofas, porta cribs

6. Pianos and organs.

We also don’t accept clothing – please make sure to recycle those at the St Andrews or the Creature Comfort Thrift Shops, where we Rotarians shop as well!

The Rotary Barn – as a place to find steals and deals and help support our local charities – only came into being during the pandemic. But it has been preceded by more than 50 years of history. The Rotary club held an auction on the Boothbay Common – and more recently the high school athletic field – for years and years and years. As successful as those events were, they were always weather dependent. And, the costs to rent tables and chairs and provide security and so forth were eating an increasing chunk of our profits. One silver lining of the pandemic is that it allowed us to find a better way to recycle all the stuff that our neighbors donate – and cut both our costs and the amount of hauling that we used to do.

The Barn is also a fun place to spend a few hours on a Saturday morning. After all, we’re all there because we want to be, and because we love this community. That’s why our donors trust us with their cast-off treasures, and that’s why our buyers come by, sometimes every Saturday. And we Rotarians love to be there as well, and we especially love how the Barn makes it possible for us to be so generous to our community.

So keep those donations coming! We look forward to seeing you for Saturday mornings at the Rotary barn really soon.