It’s no secret that in a normal year Brandon is a garage sale haven during the summer months, with residents often treating attending or holding sales as a form of warm season pastime.
With this temporary pandemic normal in many ways taking the wind out of the sails of the 2020 season as folks make informed decisions in the interest of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a local initiative this weekend is set to give people a chance to get their fix on in a more socially distant way.
On Saturday, June 20th a Drive Thru Trunk Sale is being held at the Turtle Crossing property. On that day between 9am and 5pm a collection of vendors will be setup at a spacing of 50 feet apart. Shoppers will have the ability to browse from the comfort of their car, having items brought directly to their window for purchase.
A $2 vehicle entry fee is charged for the rain-or-shine event, with proceeds going to Westman Dreams for Kids. Those wishing to be a seller at the sale are asked to contact 204 922 2554. The cost to sell is $10 according to the event listing on Turtle Crossing's website.
To round out the event, local food truck Smoked and Sauced will be on-site to provide food and refreshments. Social distance-friendly wagon rides are to be offered on-site.
Earlier in the spring residents had been advised by the City of Brandon to not hold the traditional form of garage sale alongside the initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Province has moved through the phases of a gradual restoring of services the garage sale has returned as an option when sales are held within provincial guidelines pertaining to outdoor gatherings and physical distancing. Outdoor gatherings are presently limited to 50 people, with that limit set to increase to 100 as Manitoba moves to Phase 3 of its Pandemic and Economic Roadmap for Recovery on Sunday.
As reported earlier this month by CBC, face masks and hand sanitizer have become commonplace at some sales in the province. A handful of sales had been advertised in the eBrandon classifieds this past weekend throughout the city.