What do you think of when you think of September? Back to
school? Falling leaves? Cooler weather? Shorter days?
What do you think of when you think of September? Back to school? Falling leaves? Cooler weather? Shorter days? Around here, we think of the South County Garage Sale. This popular event is a great opportunity to clean out your garage, make some money, and keep waste out of the landfill. In the past, Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy have all held their garage sales on the same weekend, but this year, that’s going to change. For the first time in South County Garage Sale history, the Gilroy citywide garage sales will be held on a different weekend than the Morgan Hill citywide garage sales. With an average of over 200 households participating in Morgan Hill alone, our thoughts are that shoppers just don’t have time to hit all of the sales in both cities in one weekend and by splitting it up, we can “share the shoppers.” Gilroy will hold their garage sales the weekend of Sept. 10 and 11 and Morgan Hill’s and San Martin’s garage sales will be held the following weekend, Sept. 17 and 18.
To sign up for the Garage Sale, you will need to fill out an application and send it to us by Friday, Sept. 2. (See the Eco-Web site section below for information on obtaining an application.) We’ll send out a “Garage Sale Kit” the week before the event that includes a sign, balloons, a tip sheet, an inventory sheet, and a guide to local re-use opportunities.
In addition, the city will provide advertising to increase your chances of having a productive garage sale. We currently have an ad running in the August Out & About magazine and as the event nears, we’ll place an ad in the Classified Section of the Mercury News. We will also run a listing of participating addresses in the Morgan Hill Times, the Gilroy Dispatch, and the Pinnacle. Remember, we must have your application here at City Hall no later than Friday, Sept. 2, if you want your address to appear in the listing.
Eco-Fact of the Week: If you have anything left after your garage sale that you need to get rid of, try visiting one of the donation stations located throughout the community. There are attended Goodwill Donation Trailers in Morgan Hill at the Safeway on Dunne Avenue and at the Goodwill Store at 17630 Monterey Road. Other agencies that accept donations are listed in our brochure, “Reduce Waste Through Reuse: A Guide to Donating, Buying and Selling Reusable Goods in Morgan Hill and Gilroy.” Call us at 779-7247 to request a free copy.
Anthony Eulo is a program administrator for the City of Morgan Hill who does love a good garage sale. He welcomes your questions, comments, and thoughts and can be reached at 779-7247 or environ@morganhill .ca.gov .
