NOTE: “Today” and “tonight” refer to Friday, Aug. 29.
PORT ANGELES — The Clallam County Historical Society’s giant garage sale in the former Lincoln School is packed to the gills and ready for shoppers to arrive.
The 20th Clallam County Historical Society garage sale is set from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and Saturday at the former brick school, now historical society headquarters, at the corner of Eighth and C streets.
It will continue next weekend, with half-price day from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5, and the “buck a bag” sale from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, when remaining items will be sold by the bag.
Parking for the sale is in the west lot, which is accessed off Ninth and C streets.
Garage sale enthusiasts, history buffs and bargain shoppers can mine a treasure trove of donated items, including tools, clothing, books, household items, furniture, crafts and collectibles.
Each type of item has its own department within the old classrooms and hallways.
“We’ve got some special jewelry,” said Kathy Monds, executive director of the historical society.
The jewelry selection includes a pair of gold filigree earrings marked for sale for more than $400, Monds said.
“We’ve always got good quality. This matches or exceeds what we were hoping,” she said.
Quantity and quality
Monds said this year, not only the quality of donations is high, but so is the quantity.
“The entire second floor of the school is filled,” she said.
Shoppers will not be allowed onto the second floor, and items will be moved to the sale floor as shelf space becomes available, so there will be something new each day, she said.
The massive sale is the historical society’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Typically, the fundraiser provides about a third of the historical society’s $100,000 annual budget, Monds said.
Research library
Proceeds from this year’s sale will go toward completing the renovation of the research library and for the next project at the former Lincoln School, she said.
She said the next project will probably be to install a sprinkler system at the 1916 brick schoolhouse.
Proceeds also help fund the Museum at the Carnegie, 207 S. Lincoln St., and other historical society operations.
“We hope to raise $40,000 this year,” Monds said.
Memberships can be purchased at the event. They are $35 for families, $30 for individuals, $25 for senior citizens and $10 for youths.
Yearly glimpse
The sale provides visitors an annual look at the progression of renovation efforts at the former Lincoln School, which was purchased by the historical society in 1991 at a cost of $210,000 and which will house the Clallam County Museum and Resource Center when it is complete.
Members and volunteers who worked at least 10 hours in preparation for the sale were allowed to purchase items during a members-only sale Thursday in any department except collectibles.
The collectibles department remains off-limits until the public sale, according to historical society rules.
Every year, a handful of museum-quality items with connections to Clallam County history are donated for the sale and are added into the museum collection.
Membership applications can be picked up at the society’s administration office at the Lincoln School site or at www.clallamhistoricalsociety.com.
For more information about the garage sale, phone the historical society’s office at 360-452-2662 or email artifact@olypen.com.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.