Cranbury’s annual Evans Tract neighborhood garage sale is scheduled for 8 a.m. on June 3.
By: Jessica Beym
A local tradition that dates back to 1989 will continue next weekend when more than 30 families clean out their attics and fill up their driveways for the annual Evans Tract neighborhood garage sale.
The sale, which used to be held earlier in the year, is slated for 8 a.m. June 3.
Edith Dlugokencki, a resident of Oak Lane, has taken the reins in organizing the event for the second year in a row, but she said Wednesday that it couldn’t be done without the help of the community.
"I have a committee," Ms. Dlugokencki said. "My daughter made the fliers and we passed them out to all the neighbors. There are a couple men that put the signs up and we have another man that goes to the Police Department to get them to block off the streets."
Every family that participates in the sale is required to pay a $7 fee, which Ms. Dlugokencki said pays for advertising in local newspapers. Any money left over will be donated to the Cranbury First Aid Squad and Cranbury Fire Company. Remaining money from last year’s sale also went to the volunteer squads, Ms. Dlugokencki said.
This year, the neighborhood had a hard time finding a date to hold the event, Ms. Dlugokencki said.
Leo and Betty Fenity, who used to run the sale, used to hold the event in April. After they stepped aside from organizing it in 2003, Griggs Tract resident Anne Way took over for a year, then Ms. Dlugokencki was asked to lead the event last year, when it was held in late May.
"This year there were many different conflicts," Ms. Dlugokencki said. "One of our neighbors was having a wedding so we couldn’t do it that weekend."
Happy to continue the neighborhood tradition, Ms. Dlugokencki said the families have been busy preparing for the event.
"It always goes pretty well," she said. "There will be just about everything you could think of. Clothes, TVs, furniture, whatever they can fit in their driveway."
Ms. Dlugokencki said the event has become more than just a neighborhood garage sale. The morning event, which requires weeks of preparation, is a chance for families to get friendly with one another, she said.
"It’d be a shame if we just forgot about it," she said. "Time goes by and we always get someone that says ‘Who’s going to do it?’ But I think people really look forward to it."
The sale will be throughout the Evans Tract neighborhood, which includes Evans Drive, Oak Lane, Brainerd Drive, Pine Hill and Station Road. The rain date for the sale is June 4.