Midwest's Largest Rummage Sale
on track to raise $1 million

Donations for the 50th Annual Memorial Community Hospital Auxiliary Rummage Sale are “up to the rafters” at the MCH Warehouse, where sorting happens throughout the year for the sale. The event is set for Thursday, September 13 through Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Arlington, Neb.

According to MCH Auxiliary Manager Laura Willey, this is the 50th Anniversary of the sale, and organizers anticipate that proceeds will top the $1 million mark in total sales for the existence of the event. More than 400 volunteers from throughout the region are expected to assist. A few of them have actually been volunteering every year since the sale began in 1957.

“We are very excited about this milestone rummage sale,” Willey said. “The MCH Auxiliary Rummage Sale captured the title of ‘Midwest’s Largest Rummage Sale’ the old fashioned way – we earned it. This event continues to grow, and items donated from the community will fill eight buildings with 11 different departments for our shoppers’ convenience.”

Willey said the hospital auxiliary receives assistance from many local businesses, local Dana College athletes, high school students, hospital employees and community volunteers.

 “This is more than a giant rummage sale,” Willey stressed. “This is a community coming together to assist our local hospital in continuing to provide excellent healthcare services for their family, friends and neighbors. It’s always been an all-community effort.

“From the people who donate items throughout the year to the trucks that haul everything over, as well as the hundreds of volunteers and the local businesses that donate lumber and all the other items that ensure our success.”

The event has become so popular, Willey said people plan their vacations around it. It attracts regulars from as far away as Colorado, Washington, Wyoming and South Carolina. Attendance ranges from four to five thousand a year.

 Proceeds from this year’s rummage sale will benefit the Capital Campaign for MCH’s $24.5 million building and renovation project. The 69,000 square foot addition and renovation project will not only increase the size of the hospital, but will allow MCH to enhance its operating efficiencies, provide privacy for patients and carry the hospital into the future.

Sale hours are set from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 13 and Sept. 14. On Saturday, Sept. 15, hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sunday, the famous “Bag Sale” will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

For more information regarding the sale or to learn about many volunteer opportunities, please call Willey at (402) 426-2030.