NJ: As you watch the parade of people saunter by proudly with their latest acquisition – golf clubs, garden 
equipment, antiques, light fixtures – you know this must be a unique place. And you would be right.
Twice a year the Visiting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills gives folks a chance to find their latest “must have” at their humongous rummage sale. Held at the Fairgrounds in Far Hills, New Jersey, this is the state’s oldest and largest sale of its kind.
Part of the fun of this sale is its charm. Run by volunteers who care passionately about the cause and realize that this sale draws attendees not just from the immediate area but also from as far as Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York City, the event is run with the precision and marketing savvy of a true retail establishment.
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David, who has worked the last ten sales, dresses in costume for his position as a volunteer in the Toy tent. With the appearance of a carnival barker – complete with rainbow-striped suspenders and a tomato-colored bandanna – David downplays his own volunteer efforts, although he has put in many more hours than the required 24 to receive “preferred volunteer” status. “See those women over there, they work six days a week, ten hours a day,” he states in awe as he nods towards two white-haired elderly women with sweet smiles and boundless energy. Another volunteer, Donna, has turned her white canvas apron into a walk down memory lane, with autographs of fellow volunteers from years past.
Just The Facts
The sale is held twice a year: the first weekends in May and October. The next sale is scheduled for October 6-8, 2006. Hours are Fridays and Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. and Sunday, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Admission is free.
Merchandise is offered in two barns and multiple tents, divided into the following categories:
? Furniture
? Curtains and Pillows .jpg)
? Electrical
? Dry Goods (Linens)
? Cameras/Lamps
? Computers
? Household
? Men’s Wear
? Kitchen
? Toys
? Books
? Notions
? Women’s clothing
? Children’s clothing
? Bon Ton Clothing “Boutique”
? Infants Clothing
? Vintage Clothing
? Jewelry
? Costumes
Payment for merchandise is accepted in the form of checks (identification required) or cash. Credit cards are not accepted.
Donations are collected at the Fairgrounds beginning approximately one month before each sale for a period of three weeks.
Volunteers can work any number of hours. However, if they work a minimum of 24 hours and at least two days of the sale, they are entitled to shop on the Wednesday prior to the start of the rummage sale. All volunteers are allowed in one day early, on the Thursday, to shop early, as are friends and families of volunteers.
As with most events of this kind, the first day (Friday) is when you will find the best selection of merchandise. Many booths reduce prices to half on remaining merchandise as early as midday Saturday. On the final day (Sunday), you can pick up some even greater bargains on remaining merchandise – bag sales in some booths (you pay $5-10 for anything you can fit in a particular size bag), half price at even more locations than on Saturday.
Why Is This One Special?
The combination of well-off households (this is one of the wealthiest areas of the country – Malcolm Forbes, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and John DeLorean all had summer estates close by), coupled with established families with lot of heirlooms and barns stuffed with dusty, rustic goodies (now so popular in the shabby chic and country decorating styles) generate enough merchandise each and every time to make this event a consistently rewarding “treasure hunt.”
Things To Know
Best attire to wear is something that can withstand the fairgrounds which if it is raining can be a mud pit and if it is dry can be dusty.
If you have outstanding parking or traffic violations, you might think twice before parking on-site. Local police have been known to see the convergence of cars on this charming hamlet as an opportunity to run the license plates parked at the fairgrounds, looking for revenue opportunities.
Visiting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills
www.visitingnurse.org
908-766-0180
BRCTraveller Inside Tip:
In addition to the Far Hills sale, there is another smaller, lesser known event (unless you are a local) that happen in the Somerset Hills that is worth having the inside track on.
Around the Environmental Education Center or Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge on a brisk spring or fall Saturday, you may notice a sky blue sign with large calligraphic lettering announcing a Barn Yard Sale. Follow the signs down Lord Stirling Road, over the dusty, potholed stretch that runs past the Rapture Trust, crossing over the one-lane bridge, until you get to the stop sign for the Great Swamp Wildlife Refuge. Here you will likely see another of the sky blue markers. Turn onto Pleasant Plains Road, heading towards the Great Swamp. Right before you reach the entrance gates, look to your left.
Here you will see an open field and a big red barn, its doors swung hospitably open with items for sale spilling out onto the grounds. Run by Brenda Ayres, her husband and friends four times annually (typically in May, June, October and November) for the last six years, the sale features antique items, furniture restyled and hand-painted by Ayres herself and whatever other interesting curiosities Ayres and her gang have collected. At recent sales, we have scored everything from beautiful, handmade vintage fishing poles to leather-clad antique storage trunks to luscious 1940's cashmere sweaters.
