Dateline Dayton — This past weekend, Pauline and I traveled to Michigan to see our daughter and her family. Most of our trips are tied to another event, and this time was no exception. It was sale time at the University of Notre Dame.
After the end of each school year, students donate items for the sale. They range, literally, from a to z: ashtrays, beds, bicycles, clothing, computers, furniture, ironing boards, kitchen items, lamps, mugs, refrigerators, storage containers of every description, wood, xylophone, to a zebra (doll), and anything else you can think of.
Normally this sale would be on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. But the organizers wanted more time to properly display and organize their sale, so it was last Saturday.
The sale is in the concourse of Notre Dame’s football stadium, with all proceeds being donated to charity. The charities receiving funds provide the volunteers to staff the event. When we arrived at 4:30 a.m., there already there was a large crowd even though overnight camping was not permitted.
You must pay to enter the stadium, and that booth opened at 5 a.m. Stadium gates did not open until 7. After 9 o’clock, you may enter the sale free, but you will find little merchandise left. When we left the sale at 8:15, all the better merchandise was gone. The sale ended at 11.
Weather — Thou Goest
The weather was threatening when we arrived, and we were sprayed with a few showers while standing in line. Just prior to opening, lightning and thunder struck I thought, I hoped, they would open early to avoid someone being struck by lightning. They didn’t, but everyone made it inside safely.
I’m not sure how far the line actually extended around the stadium, prior to the 7 o’clock opening, about one-third of the distance around the stadium.
For a few high-end items, bids were taken, instead of being sold outright. There were electronic items, and I couldn’t explain their capabilities, a Notre Dame hockey jersey, two logo bats, a speaker with stand and a foosball table.
Our daughter Darlene had a list, and we were each assigned items to buy. You must go immediately to higher end items or they will disappear. Pauline and I were given the tasks of getting under-bed storage containers and a small refrigerator. Fortunately, both were in the same general area.
On our way to get a refrigerator, we passed the under bed storage containers so I picked up one, as well as a few plastic milk cases for myself. We found one of the smaller refrigerators, which we thought would be perfect and it looked to be in good condition. I took the refrigerator through the checkout line and onto the car. Pauline stayed with the other items. When I took the refrigerator to the car, I still had to cut through the line that hadn’t entered the stadium.
Since they wouldn’t let me re-enter where I had exited, I needed to get back in line to enter. I called Darlene to check on how many of the storage containers she wanted and was told three. I got two more and took them along with my three milk cases to the car.
Darlene purchased a lamp, as did Emily, her youngest daughter and a couple chairs. The two of them also purchased other items. Heather was able to get a chair, backpack and a watch. After taking all these items to the car, I returned to purchase some mugs for my collection. I was able to find eight. They only cost two dollars.
Check in your area and see if any of the universities do something similar to the Notre Dame sale. In our hometown, the University of Dayton donates all the items left by students to the St. Vincent DePaul Society. If you have a student going off to college or someone setting up housekeeping, a sale of this nature is a great way to get needed items, at a very reasonable price.
After all that shopping, we were off to the discount store in Schoolcraft, which has become somewhat of a tradition.
Mr. Hennessey may be contracted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net
