Promotional Spotlight Special Edition: Ridgway Record

Community yard sale sparks positivity and a sense of normalcy in Ridgway

As many counties in Pennsylvania began to enter the Green Phase of business and societal restrictions set in place by the commonwealth, many Pennsylvanians experienced apprehension about how they, their peers and the local businesses and government organizations would carry on in the “new normal.” Perhaps one of the most ingenious ways some local businesses and other organizations have helped provide reassurance and positivity to their citizens, is through the vehicle of something well known and nostalgic, that piques the interest of individuals while uniting a community. For Christie Gardner, publisher at the Ridgway Record and long-time resident of the town, the annual community yard sale was that perfect event as Elk County went “green.”

The Ridgway community yard sale has been taking place since May 2010 and is facilitated through the Ridgway-Elk County Chamber of Commerce, which then partners with the Ridgway Record to provide information about the yard sale to the community. The Chamber invites local businesses to participate in the special event as well through sidewalk sales and lunch specials. They then create a map of the town that includes all local business events and specials as well as the specific home yard sales. Ridgway residents can pay the Chamber $10 to have their home yard sale included on the map. Gardner and her team then work with the Chamber to feature the map, and additional ads purchased directly through the Record, in the publication the week prior to the event. “It is a really extensive map,” said Gardner. “It includes each street with specific addresses of each yard sale, and it takes up about three-quarters of a page in the paper.”

Historically the community yard sale took place in mid to late May each year, but the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions forced the town to postpone the event, and, initially, there was concern that it might be cancelled altogether. Then, as the county entered the Green Phase in the first full week of June, the Chamber decided to move forward with the yard sale on a postponed date of June 19, and Gardner said she and her team are interested and hopeful to see the community’s response and that it appears positive and strong so far. Gardner says of the town and her fellow citizens, “We’re opening things up slowly and with the proper guidelines in place. And hopefully, the annual yard sale will be much the same. I think we’re on the right path.”

For additional information, contact Christie Gardner at 814-773-3161, or sales@ridgwayrecord.com.

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