"America's Mud Sale Capital" is what they call this part of Pennysylvania in early March, and they're proud of it. While the ground turns to mud with the spring thaw, it's the time of year for morning auctions whose proceeds go to volunteer fire companies that come when called throughout the year. The organizers, the firefighters themselves, are the first response when disaster strike, and a little mud is just another challenge to them. These auctions are rich opportunities for scoring great bargains, giving something of worth to a community and enjoying a weekend getaway all in one fell swoop.
You might be looking for a traditional quilt, perhaps made by an Amish family, or antique bottles. A freshly baked shoofly pie could be a nice reward for getting up early and braving the mud. More earthy objects, such as manure spreaders or a well-worn buggy, could escape your eye, but consider yourself lucky to participate in a marvelous folk tradition that is slowly disappearing from the American cultural landscape.
Here are the upcoming sales:
March 15, 2003: 15th Annual Building Materials Sale, Bart Township Fire Co., Route 896 (six miles southeast of Strasburg), Georgetown PA, phone 717/786-3348. From 8:30. Unless you live nearby, you might be interested mostly in light items such as washbowls, but there will be home-made food on hand, with a bus shuttle from the parking lot operating between 7: 30 to noon as well as 1 to 4 PM. Their website is www.bart51.com.
March 20, 2003: Annual Fundraising Auction of Farmersville Fire Co., 74 E. Farmersville Road, Ephrata PA, phone 717/354-5835. From 4:30 to 10 PM, quilt sale, baked goods sale, tools and furniture. Free admission.
March 22, 2003: Annual Spring Sale of Gap Fire Co., 802 Pequea Avenue, Gap PA, phone 717/442-9549. From 8 to 5, with food, quilts, crafts, dry goods and groceries.
April 12, 2003: Rawlinsville Fire Co. Sale, 33 Martic Heights Drive, Holtwood PA, phone 717/284-3023. From 8:30 to 7. Free admission.
For more information about Lancaster County, the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country and its mud sales, visit www.padutchcountry.com or phone 800/PA DUTCH (same as 723-8824).