BWNA’s first-ever neighborhood-wide yard sale in July brought folks from both inside and outside the neighborhood — and helped B-W residents move their clutter into the hands of treasure hunters.
The idea for a neighborhood-wide yard sale had been discussed by the BWNA Events Committee for over a year but didn’t gather steam until B-W resident Claudia Carle stepped up to champion the effort in late 2025. Claudia, joined by Beverly Yashar, researched other nearby neighborhoods’ efforts and put together a registration site that incorporated an interactive map showing the sellers’ locations along with details for each site’s sale items. To encourage more participants, the sellers paid no fees this year. Claudia and Bev worked to market the yard sale via many social media platforms including garage sale listing sites, an effort that proved fruitful if the roving crowds of folks and happy sellers were an indicator.
At my own home, as one of 116 registered sellers participating in the yard sale, my family was performing our final prep when the “early birds” started arriving. Never one to pass up a potential sale, I graciously welcomed them to come into the yard. A few buyers were a bit overwhelmed with the number of sales on the interactive map, but they were more at ease after I showed them how to view the list of items for sale at each location. Despite hearing of some parking issues at close clusters of sellers, people seemed to enjoy the opportunity to participate in this broader community event while interacting with neighbors and visitors alike.
John Sandie relocated from the Midwest with his wife Kathy to be closer to children and grandchildren in the area, landing on Fremont Street in B-W in early 2011. In retirement they pursue their desires to make a difference locally, John by volunteering with the neighborhood association, Kathy with Alameda School. The duo is contentedly busy volunteering and keeping up with grandchildren.
