Great Weekend for the VNA

Although this weekend’s VNA of Somerset Hills rummage sale did not get off to a good start on Friday on account of the drenching rains, it was a different story for the next two days.

Looking for bargains at the VNA's annual rummage sale.

On Saturday morning, after attending a men’s club breakfast at my church in honor of a friend, I returned home, put on my jeans, a mid-weight pullover; and, more importantly, a good pair of over-the-ankles L.L. Bean boots to get me through any mud or water-soaked grassy depressions at the VNA grounds in Far Hills.

When I arrived around mid-morning, it took about 20 minutes of start-and-stop driving in the Subaru before I could get through the entry gate and into the rummage sale area. The parking lot was 90% full by then, and I was directed about as far away from the tents as one could get for a parking spot, nearly 6 rows away from the sidewalk facing Route 202.

But it was worth it.

My purpose was to not browse through the entire area, but to head laser-like to the book barns. A long line awaited me there as well. I reminded myself, “Don’t buy too many.” But reading is simply too infectious for me, and I came out with a huge bag of books at bargain prices. On Sunday, books were even cheaper.

Probably my best overall bargain was a new, still sealed-in-cellophane copy of the latest edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language with CD. The list price is $60. Amazon sells it for $37.77 new. I scoffed it up for four bucks cash.

Eager buyers stand in line on Saturday to get into the tent area
for the VNA rummage sale in Far Hills, New Jersey.

Accounting for this bargain, my daughter Denise reminded me that with the advent of free websites such as dictionary.com, good print dictionaries are no longer the in-demand tomes that they once were.

Even the authoritative 20-volume set of the Oxford English Dictionary which sells on Amazon for $995 may disappear in its printed form. Its online version currently receives two million hits a month, but not for free. Subscribers pay an annual fee of £240, or about $380 U.S.

Sunday’s weather was just as good as that of Saturday, providing another 24 hours for the thousands of people who like to meander about the various tents in search of that elusive find at a bargain price. I hope that two wonderfully sunny days brought out enough people to make up for Friday’s loss.

Thanks for reading, and stay engaged.