Garretson Citywide Rummages are coming up, as is the Garretson Clean Up Day. This year, the Clean Up Day will be held April 22, which is the weekend right after the rummages.
Despite fears there will still be snow on the ground, the Citywide Rummages are scheduled for April 14-15, which is the same weekend as the Jesse James Track Invitational.
"We [organizers] tried moving the dates around for the past few years, to see if there was a weekend that worked better and was a little later in the spring," said Carrie Moritz. "We just kept running into other larger rummages, such as Brandon Citywide and Kingswood, and our shopper numbers would be way down. So even though it's a leap of faith to run a citywide rummage in the middle of April, it just seems to work better."
To keep up with the logistics, all rummages are registered on-line. The Garretson Gazette sponsors the website and payments for the rummages, which is located at https://rummages.garretsongazette.com. Moritz says she's available to help anyone who needs to get registered, and welcomes them to stop over to the Gazette office located at 506 N Main.
The rummages are volunteer-run, and all registrations go straight toward advertising for the sale.
"The more people who participate, the more we can get the word out," Moritz pointed out. She said that in prior years, registration has been high enough to place ads in the Brandon Valley Journal and Shopper, the Dells City Journal and Shopper, the Garretson Gazette, and on Facebook. In order to run these ads again, at least 15 rummages need to be registered before Monday, April 3.
Any volunteers who wish to help spread the word on rummage sites and place posters can do so. Posters will be available by Friday, March 31 at the Gazette for pick up.
Despite advertising that the official dates are April 14 and 15, options for the 12th and 13th are available on the website. All rummages need to choose their own times and days they'll be open.
The following weekend, the City of Garretson will be hosting its annual Clean Up Day on Earth Day, April 22 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
At this time, residents are encouraged to bring large items to Garbage-N-More, located at 708 Nordstrom Avenue. Residents can bring anything except everyday garbage, paint cans, electronics, lawn chemicals, and unpainted construction wood or branches (dispose of branches at the city branch pile, other non-acceptable items can be brought to the Hazardous Waste Facility at 1015 E Chambers St, Sioux Falls).
Furniture, appliances, and painted wood will be accepted. Mattresses, box springs, and tires will be accepted for a charge (tires must be off-rim).
Springdell 4-H will be helping with the clean-up effort and will be available to pick up items for a donation to the club (along with any extra fees that may be incurred). This is helpful for anyone who does not own a large vehicle or will not be around that day. Pre-registration will be required, and inquiries can be directed to Anna Uhl at 605-310-7253.
