CARIBOU, Maine — Most of us can recall at least one time in our lives when we’ve held a yard sale to get rid of some of the clutter that builds up over time. We all outgrow articles of clothing, or have items we once used, but have begun to lose interest in. Over time, we find that many of our possessions are no longer getting the use they deserve, and we decide to pass them on to a new owner. This weekend the city of Caribou saw this trend take place on a large scale, as the annual City-Wide Yard Sale was held on May 17-18.
All across the city, people gathered up any of their belongings that may no longer be of use to them and piled them on to tables on the front lawn, or into boxes in the garage, thanks to the unfortunate rainy weather experienced this weekend. The cold and rain may have prevented some potential sellers from spending the weekend outside in an entrepreneurial role, but nevertheless most of Caribou’s streets were lined with homemade signs, pointing shoppers in the direction of the nearest sale.
One Main St. resident set up shop for a cause that went well beyond merely making a few extra dollars for a rainy day. Instead, this group of Caribou and Washburn middle and high school cheerleaders set out to raise enough money to send all 20 girls to the National Cheeleaders Association’s Husson University Cheer Camp, in Bangor.
“Our goal is to raise $6,000 for a trip to the NCA Cheer Camp at Husson,” said Sierra Ouellette, who was just one of the cheerleaders displaying her dedication, while standing outside in the rain and holding up a brightly colored sign the girls hoped would attract customers. “There’s close to 20 of us trying to make the trip, so it’s going to take a lot of selling.”
As Ouellette pointed out, $6,000 is quite a high goal to set for an average yard sale, even on the biggest yard sale day of the year. This is why the girls also set up a food stand, where hot dogs and drinks were sold, as well as a raffle for a gift basket that included many different items.
The City-Wide Yard Sale was not only for residents of Caribou, or nearby areas. Donna Lee, from New Denmark, New Brunswick was just one of the shoppers who came across the border for the weekend-long sale. When asked what she was hoping to find during her weekend shopping trip Lee was ambivalent, but hopeful that she would find something that suits her fancy.
“I’ve just been browsing, so far,” said Lee. “I haven’t found anything yet, but there’s always some good finds at yard sales like this.”
Lee and other shoppers were urged to “make an offer” on any of the items the girls had displayed on the lawn of 733 Main St. They were anxious to sell off as much of their inventory as possible, in order to afford their trip to the NCA Cheer Camp at Husson, which will take place July 14-17.
The middle and high school cheerleaders who were involved in the Main St. yard sale this past weekend included Rachel Davis, Megan Quellette, Margeaux Bealieu, Sheridan Blackstone, Erin Jandreau, Crissy Corbin, Makayla Shackett, Mariah Mink, Emma Cyr, Danielle Thompson, Emma Theriault, Ashley Cote, Brianna Reece, Anecia Fuller, Hannah McDonald, Sierra Ouellette, Adrieanna Damboise, Elainee Norris and Courtney Johnson.
