The Empire Lions Club’s 59th annual Auction and Yard Sale returns to Johnson Park this weekend on Sunday, featuring just a bit of everything from unique antiques and furniture to boats and bicycles, all to raise money for community programs.
The yard sale begins at 10 a.m. along with auction registration. The live auction then starts at noon, with food and beverages available all day. Item donations will be accepted through Friday.
Event organizer Linda Chase said this year’s auction and sale includes an especially large selection of furniture, including teak outdoor furniture, dining sets, antiques and other household items.
The yard sale pavilion will be filled with 22 tables of household goods, including dishes, glassware, linens and home decor. The auction will feature larger items such as full dining room sets, antique furniture, kayaks, paddleboards, bicycles, a 14-foot laser sailboat, two Sunfish sailboats and a wood chipper.
The annual sale is the Lion’s Club’s largest fundraiser of the year with proceeds supporting scholarships, local recreation programs, vision and hearing assistance, diabetes education and other community needs.
Chase said the club works to put the money raised back into the community as much as possible. “We’re not here to hoard the money, we’re here to get rid of it,” she said The fundraiser also brings dozens of community volunteers together each year to prepare the event, from setting up tents and organizing donations to helping shoppers during the sale.
For Chase, while the fundraising is important, the day is more about the community camaraderie and bringing people together.
“When you join an organization, you go for the camaraderie,” she said. “You like being around these people, and it’s going for a great cause.”
