Godfrey Methodist Hosting 50th Annual Women's Rummage Sale

GODFREY - Godfrey First United Methodist Church is getting ready to host their 50th annual “Women's Rummage Sale” during the second weekend of April 2024 at the church, located at 1100 Airport Road in Godfrey.

Committee Chair Carolyn West appeared on a recent episode of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com to share more details about the long-running rummage sale. She said during the week leading up to the event, “the whole church is turned into a department store.”

A “pre-sale” will be held on Friday, Friday, April 12, 2024 from 4 to 7 p.m., allowing early access to the rummage sale goods for a $2 donation fee. The main sale takes place the next day on Saturday, April 13, 2024 from 8 to 10 a.m., and there is no charge for entry. Finally, a “$1 bag sale” follows shortly after the main sale on Saturday from 10 to 11 a.m.

Throughout the weekend, baskets will be provided to carry items in, and West said there will also be a “holding area” for any items you’d rather set down before you continue shopping. During the “$1 bag sale,” visitors can buy as many items as they can fit in a provided bag, all for $1 (West said there’s some flexibility for larger items like blanket/comforter sets which may not fit in the bag).

For those looking to sell their large items, West said anyone without a truck or other form of transport for the large item can call the church at (618) 466-3624, who will send people out to pick up the item.

This year’s Women's Rummage Sale will also feature several food items, including hot dogs, bratwursts, chili, pulled pork, chips, and soda. Proceeds from the event will benefit several local missions, including the Community Hope Center, Oasis Women’s Center, Crisis Food Center, Options Now (THRIVE), Lessie B. Davis Nbrhd House, and Dream Home Charities.

West also shared the story behind how she and a small but dedicated team came to run the rummage sale, and how the event has grown over the years since.

“25 years ago, I had stepped out of the work force and stepped into the ladies’ group at our church, and they were going to give up on the Rummage Sale because they just didn’t think they were making enough for it,” West said. “Me, who says, ‘I’ve done yard sales before, I can do this.’ Boy, I was wrong - it’s a lot more work.”

While she wasn’t sure she was “going to survive” the first year hosting the rummage sale, the second year, she got some help from two twins in her church named Cherlyn and Marolyn. West described the two as “wonderful, wonderful women” and “angels who floated down.”

The trio ran the Rummage Sale for 15 years before losing Cherlyn two years ago, West said. As the sale continued to grow, so did the team behind it, eventually leading to the creation of a committee to manage the event. West chaired that committee, but announced this will be her last event hosting the rummage sale as Committee Chair as she looks to pass the torch on to two other women who have “worked in the sale for a long time,” West said.

For more information about the 50th annual Women's Rummage Sale, see the full interview with West at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.

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