CENTRE HALL — Centre Hall hosted its Town Wide Yard Sale Days event June 22 and 23, with yard and garage sales lining Pennsylvania Avenue from Old Fort to the foot of the mountain. Residential side streets and even some alleys were crowded with shoppers.
The event began when several local business owners formed the Centre Hall Business Owners Association in 1980 and decided to hold a community-wide yard sale. The first was held in 1981, and since then it has grown steadily in size and popularity. Now, it is estimated that nearly 150 sales are happening in the borough and surrounding area simultaneously, turning Centre Hall into a bargain hunter’s paradise.
Centre Hall attorney and historian LeDon Young said the event is advertised in publications in six adjacent counties, thereby attracting shoppers from 50 or more miles away.
Preparation for the sales began the weekend before the event, with canopies and folding tables going up around the town. By June 21, most of the town was setting up sales in front yards, driveways and garages, with early-bird shoppers appearing to check out the sales before the big crowds arrived the next day.
Items offered for sale included just about everything — clothing, toys, housewares, furniture, appliances, tools, electronics, toys and, yes, even kitchen sinks.
The sales have become family traditions for many in Centre Hall. People who grew up in the town come back to the family home with loads of items to sell, and to visit with parents and old friends in the neighborhood.
The event has become large enough to attract outside food vendors. Several food trailers were set up along Pennsylvania Avenue, filling the air with the delicious aromas. Churches in town also get in the act, turning front lawns into roadside cafes, serving sandwiches, soft drinks and ice cream to raise money for various charity and mission projects. Local businesses also benefit from the two-day population boom.
