People turned out for bargains galore at Medina community yard sales

Photos by Ginny Kropf: From left, Gary Lemke, daughter Allison and her friend Katie Melock stand among the tables laden with goods for their yard sale Saturday on Erie Street.

MEDINA – Medina’s annual community yard sale on Saturday, sponsored by Medina Lions, certainly has to be one of the most successful in the event’s history.

Carol Bellack, Char Smith and Jason Cogovan dish up sides for Medina Lion’s chicken barbecue Saturday during the community yard sale. A record 559 dinners were sold.

Perfect weather, yard sales all over the village, shoppers filling the streets, an abundance of vendors and sold-out chicken barbecue made for a perfect day, said chairman Jim Hancock.

“Such a perfect day brought everybody out,” Hancock said. “Whether you went north, south, east or west in the village, people had signs up and tents in their yards.”

Streets were filled with cars, sometimes making them impassable. At the Olde Pickle Factory, there was hardly an empty parking spot in the entire parking lot.

The Lions sold a record 559 chicken barbecues, cooked by Chiavetta’s. The Lions’ Weinermobile, manned by Pete Kaiser, Howie Gardner and Vickie Hutchison was kept busy selling hot dogs all over the village, so shoppers could grab a bite and run to the next sale.

On the corner of Main and Center streets, volunteers chaired by Tim Moriarty handed out all 750 of their maps between 8:30 and 11:30 a.m.

The Lions’ food tent, chaired by Chris and Julie Keller, also had a very successful day, selling hot dogs and hamburgers.

One of the shoppers named Grace of Medina said this was the second community yard sale she had attended.

“I like doing community things, and everybody is out today,” she said. “With the sunshine and chicken barbecue, it’s a fun day. I did a few yard sales Friday night. I found an antique pitcher I’ve been looking for.”

Gary and Lisa Lemke and daughter Allison have had a yard sale almost every year, Gary said. He and Allison and her friend Katie Melock of Buffalo were watching the yard sale while Lisa was out shopping at other sales.

“We’ve been doing this for the last 10 to 12 years,” Gary said. “With prices so high these days, anything extra we can make helps out. And we clear out stuff we’re not using. What we don’t sell, we give to MAAC. They helped us out a few years ago and we want to repay them, now that we’re able to do that.”

Gary Lemke and family of 505 Erie St. have participated Medina’s community yard sale for more than a decade. Their yard was full of bargains, including beautiful cupcakes daughter Allison made.

Above all, Gary said they just liked talking to people who stopped by.

Allison said she loves Medina and yard sale day.

“It’s better than any others in the area,” she said.

She said she goes to Goodwill and buys things and stops at other yard sales and then saves the stuff to resell at their own sale.

The Community Yard Sale and other Lions’ projects allows them to support many causes and organizations in the community and in support of the blind, according to Hancock.

“At our last meeting of the Lions’ year this month, we will vote on giving away $10,000 to $11,000,” Hancock said. “I want to thank the community, because without their support, our events wouldn’t be a success.”

Vendors filled the field on the west end of the Olde Pickle Factory parking lot during the Medina Lions’ annual community yard sale and chicken barbecue on Saturday.