PORT ANGELES — The shopping will be thrifty and the goods diverse at the Camp Beausite garage sale this weekend.
Filling the Home Arts Building and the nearby cat barn at the Clallam County Fairgrounds, the sale is the result of five North Olympic Peninsula Kiwanis clubs’ donations of items ranging from tools to tablecloths.
The sale’s proceeds will support Camp Beausite, formerly the Northwest Kiwanis Camp, and its summer programs for disabled youths and adults.
The three Port Angeles Kiwanis clubs, along with clubs in Sequim and Port Townsend, sponsor the annual sale to raise money for the camp on Lake Beausite near Chimacum.
During the sale from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, shoppers can browse among fine art pieces, household goods, books, clothing and “some beautiful pieces of furniture,” said Sharron Sherfick, Camp Beausite’s administrator.
The buildings are just inside the fairgrounds entrance at 1608 W. 16th St., and shoppers are asked to park in the lot across from the entrance.
Donations pour in
Donations have been pouring in from Clallam and Jefferson counties and even from Kitsap County, Sherfick said.
This year’s proliferation comes in part from three donated family estates, including one in Poulsbo that brought some high-quality furniture, artwork and home decor pieces.
These are items, Sherfick noted, that buyers might not expect to find at a garage sale.
The quantity of donations pushed the Olympic Kiwanis, which is organizing this year’s event, to move the sale to the fairgrounds and expand it to two days.
“We’ve got an incredible number of items,” said Sherfick, who will be on hand at the sale to talk about Camp Beausite’s programs and hold drawings for prizes: a quilt donated by the Sunbonnet Sue Quilt Club of Sequim, a bicycle and a coffee lover’s gift basket.
Sherfick said she and camp Program Director Katie Jackson, plus some Camp Beausite board members, look forward to answering questions about the program, which this year runs from June 25 through July 27.
They will have a slide show with scenes from the weeklong camp sessions for various age groups.
Camp details
The minimum age for campers is 6; there’s no maximum, Sherfick said, adding that last summer, the oldest camper was 58.
Swimming, fishing, art projects, horseback riding, field trips and campfire sing-alongs fill the days and nights at Camp Beausite; the staff of counselors is joined by volunteers from across the North Olympic Peninsula.
“We’re hoping to expand,” Sherfick said, “to have year-round programs and respite care for families.”
Fundraisers such as this weekend’s garage sale also will help build new bunkhouses, a commercial kitchen and a multipurpose pavilion.
Sherfick and Jackson will have camp applications at the sale; information for campers’ families, volunteers and supporters also is available at www.KiwanisCamp.com and 360-732-7222.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
