Treasures abound at RAGS

Bribery and corruption had no place at the Kitsap Pavilion on Saturday morning, but that didn’t stop folks from trying. As a crowd gathered in front of a locked chain-link fence in anticipation of the beginning of the Rotary Annual Garage sale, Rotarian Bill Walgren, the keeper of the gate, kept his wits about him.

As Walgren waited for 8 a.m. to roll around, one eager shopper waived a rolled up greenback of undetermined denomination in front of him. It would have been a prize for opening the gate early but Walgren would not budge.

RAGS is put on every year by four local Rotary clubs: Silverdale Sunrise, Silverdale Noon, Bremerton and South Kitsap. The event takes donations from the community to sell at bargain-basement prices. All the money raised goes back to Rotary clubs and in turn back into the community through Rotary projects.

Once the gates were open, the scene was absolute mayhem as shoppers bolted — not walked, bolted — every which way, all on the fervent quest for stuff in general.

And boy, did they find stuff in general.

Kim Horsley of Bremerton found a vintage Ronald McDonald plush toy back from the days when the burger mascot resembled the clown on the book jacket of “It” by Stephen King. Horsley has a business on eBay and she plans to sell the clown via the Internet, she said.

“My mom used to have one of these and we sold it on eBay,” Horsley said. She also picked up a few dozen movies and other miscellaneous items.

Overall, she said she was happy with her haul.

Sue Walgren of Port Orchard said she felt obligated to go to RAGS. She is gatekeeper Bill Walgren’s sister-in-law.

“I knew my brother-in-law spent a lot of time working on this so I’d better go,” she said. Unlike most shoppers, Sue Walgren actually had a specific agenda for something useful. She needed casserole dishes, and that’s exactly what she bought.

Shirley Luty of Port Orchard was on a semi-agenda. Her granddaughter needed a white, button-up shirt for work and she went to RAGS to find one. She also found a bonus item — a Green Bay Packers jacket she purchased for another family member. Luty, a Michigan native, said she comes from a long line of Cheeseheads.

The event was moderated by local comedian and diehard Rotarian Cris Larsen, who mentioned there were some Teletubbies socks for sale, but that find was unconfirmed.

The items that were not sold were donated to local charities.

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.