CARIBOU, Maine — While some may consider Friday the 13th to be the unluckiest day of the year, Caribou area shoppers lucked out during this year’s citywide yard sale.
The weekend yard sale event kicked off May 13 with more than 70 residents and businesses opening their garages and front yards to the community. Yard sale enthusiasts went from home to home, searching for games, toys, appliances and other unique items that they can transform from “trash” into “treasure.”
On Rose Street, Brenda Hallowell of Perham and her daughter Sheryl Hebert of Presque Isle excitedly checked out the antique plates, lamps, candle holders and other decorative items in Becky Johnson’s garage.
Hallowell and Hebert are longtime supporters of the citywide yard sale and always look forward to meeting others in the community.
“People have been closed up all winter, so it’s nice to see people we haven’t seen in a while,” Hallowell said.
As late morning temperatures quickly rose into the 80s, Johnson still saw many devoted shoppers visit her yard sale and nearby homes. With the U.S.-Canadian border now open, she began seeing more tourists from Canada as well as local residents.
“It’s a good event to get us all out and about and see new people,” Johnson said.
While many yard sale hosts expected the coming weekend to be busier than Friday’s kickoff, they still were pleased with the steady flow of traffic throughout downtown Caribou and surrounding neighborhoods.
At her Main Street home, Alaina Cotts was participating in the citywide yard sale for the first time. She saw her yard sale as a way to give back to the community.
“It’s been great to meet and talk with different people,” Cotts said.
Kendra McCoy of Washburn said that Caribou’s yard sales have been an annual birthday tradition.
“You find lots of good deals,” McCoy said, as she searched through boxes of candles at Cott’s sale.
Kendra McCoy of Washburn checks out items at Alaina Cotts’ yard sale during Caribou’s City Wide Yard Sale event. (Melissa Lizotte | Aroostook Republican)
