OTHRS yard sale on June 27

At their regularly scheduled monthly meeting February 5, the Old Town Hall Rejuvenation Society (OTHRS) voted to reschedule their annual fundraising yard sale from Spring Fling weekend in April to Saturday, June 27.

The group hopes that by moving the event and limiting it to one day, they will draw more shoppers as well as high quality donations, both of which are key to fundraising efforts. Potential donors are being asked to hold their items until after June 1, when volunteers will be able to begin collecting and storing them. As always, volunteers are welcome to help. OTHRS was encouraged by the success of a similar event in Ritzville last year, where a significant amount was raised for the restoration of the local theater.

Old Town Hall will not be vacant Spring Fling weekend, either. Julie Williams plans to begin looking for interested vendors to rent table space for the weekend. Crafters or owners of home-based businesses are encouraged to contact Julie if interested. Spaces will be available for either or both days, Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25.

Finally, the group discussed what would be the best use of the facility during Deutschesfest. It was suggested as a possible site for the Youth Garten, but in the end it was decided to continue to offer it as a site for vendors, as in the past. Members will work on the logistics and have a plan to report at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Thursday, March 5, at 6:30 p.m. at Old Town Hall.

Other items on the agenda included defining officer roles and continuing discussion of the need for more active members. It was noted that the community as a whole has been very supportive, but there are only four or five people at any regular meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings, but anyone with skill, experience or even interest in grant writing, engineering, architecture, construction, masonry, carpentry, painting, planning or organization is especially needed.

The next phase of the exterior improvements is unscheduled as yet, as the group is still working on getting a cost estimate for cleaning, repairing and painting the exterior surface of the building. It is unclear whether the task could be handled by volunteers or if an outside service would need to be hired. OTHRS is optimistic that when proceeds from the yard sale are added to the growing memorial contributions, there will be enough on hand to do the job.