We can thank Jean, Lessalee for yard sales

When it's yard sale time in Worthington, I think about Jean Ingersoll and Lessalee Pickard. They got the whole thing started 18 years ago. Actually, they got a lot of things started.

They both passed away a few years ago -- both were up in their 80s and both were hometown movers and shakers until the end.

Jean and Lessalee were best friends when growing up and I remember hearing them giggle like girls up at the Senior Citizens Center reminiscing about the old days. They told stories about youthful sleepovers on the farm, having to get dressed for school near the woodstove, and making trips to the outhouse on cold, winter nights.

After their school years, they both married and then had more miles between them as they raised their families, but they remained best of friends.

The fun began again when they were both back home -- settled into Worthington for their retirement years.

They both loved news and politics and they shared a belief that it was their duty to volunteer and contribute to their community. They had both become active in politics -- only one had become a Democrat and the other was a Republican.

They also joined the Ruritan Club and the Senior Center and they worked hard on every project that came along. They helped organize parades, dinners, fundraisers and festivals.

When election time rolled around, they were both making phone calls, registering voters, arranging rides to the polls and urging everyone to vote -- for different candidates.

Today's politicians could learn a thing or two from them -- how they agreed to disagree, how they had spirited (to put it mildly) debates about the issues and candidates but somehow managed to come out of it with respect for each other.

Eighteen years ago, they started the yard sale day. Lessalee said we all needed to make some money and if we all had a yard sale on the same day, the cost of an ad could be shared. If there were more sales, more people would come from out-of-town and with more shoppers, we'd all make more money than if we just had an individual sale. At that time, no other community yard sales were being held anywhere in the area. They were the first around.

There were a handful of sales and an impressive number of shoppers that first year. There were more of each the second year. By the third year, there were over 100 sales going on and it was estimated that 10,000 people had come into town for Worthington's yard sale day. They came from all directions -- from Indy, from Evansville, from Terre Haute, from Bloomington.

The Lions Club now sponsors the event and it's always held on the Saturday before Labor Day. Jean and Lessalee insisted on that date. They said it must be on some day that everyone can remember whether they see an ad or not -- it had to be dependable so the shoppers would know when to come back year after year.

They also insisted that the promotion be funded by donations from sellers and that no set fee be charged. And they always cautioned against adding any other events to yard sale day -- no festivals or parades or carnivals on yard sale day. They said to do this one thing only, and do it well.

Over the years, Jean and Lessalee had a hand in many other events and projects in Worthington but yard sale day was one of their biggest successes. Besides hard work, their formula for boosting their local economy was simple -- give the people something they want and they will come.

Saturday is yard sale day in Worthington.

Anna is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World and can be reached at 847-4487 or by e-mail to indianarose@fastmail.us