A crowd gathered outside Beaver Stadium on Saturday morning, waiting for the gates to open.
But this story doesn’t end with a Nittany Lions football game, because that crowd was full of bargain hunters.
The 14th annual Trash to Treasure sale was held on Saturday, recycling trash left over by students in dorm rooms and turning it into treasure at insanely cheap prices to raise money for the Centre County United Way.
The sale opened, as always, with a bang. Hundreds gather outside the stadium for a chance to get their hands on the best loot before anyone else.
“We had a wonderful crowd and they packed the place,” executive director Tammy Gentzel says. “It was wall to wall people and wall to wall treasures. They cleaned it out pretty good in that first round.”
Although the morning rush seems like a hectic battle for the best goods, Gentzel says it’s all in good fun.
“They’re polite and they walk, but they walk very quickly,” she says. “They all have a purpose and know where they’re going and know what they want. They’re set up in teams and it’s just a real joy to watch them do it. It’s a lot of fun.”
Some people run straight for the televisions, hoping to grab a flat screen at a highly discounted price. Others are looking for a new couch to put in their living room. And some just want the electronics.
“I just like coming out every year to see what I can find,” says Phillip Pellegrini. “The electronics are always kind of a draw just to see what might show up from somebody’s dorm.”
Pellegrini didn’t find anything particularly exciting this year, but he has left Beaver Stadium with some great deals in the past at the sale.
“I actually got a laser disk player here four or five years ago for two bucks, so that was pretty neat,” he says. “It’s great to support a good organization and also get a good deal on this stuff.”
While the sale is known for bringing in some unusual items, there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary this year. For Gentzel, it was the furniture and women’s shoes that stood out.
“There was a beautiful couch that somebody had upholstered in real bright patchwork colors and that was really pretty to me,” she says. “Some of the women’s shoes this year were real interesting. I’m talking six inch spike heels and platforms, so those were very entertaining.”
While the final tally won’t be in for a few days, all 43 tons of trash will have been turned into treasure. The leftover goods go to Good Will and the broken goods are hauled to the dump.
At the last count, the 2015 spring sale had brought in about $45,000, and Gentzel says they expect to see that number top $50,000 when it’s all said and done.
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