SNAP yard sale nets $5,000 for next phase

The third and final construction phase of the John Mark Stallings Special Needs Accessible Playground at Sparkman Park moved a step closer to reality last weekend thanks to the success of the project’s Mega Yard Sale.

The two-day event, which was staged in a parking lot next to Sparkman Civic Center , raised $5,000 in spite of disruptions caused by storms, according to Jack Templeton, project coordinator.

“We had a large number of people waiting to shop and buy when we started setting up on Thursday afternoon,” Templeton said, “and we stayed busy the entire time. That speaks well for the publicity the project received. We talked to a lot of people from Moulton, Cullman and Decatur.

“One of the problems we had was not enough table space to display all of the merchandise,” he pointed out. “Then we had to cover everything up with plastic when it rained Thursday evening, and boxes of books and clothing sitting on the parking lot were exposed to water and damaged. A thunderstorm late Friday afternoon also disrupted the sale.”

“But overall, I thought we did well,” Templeton said. “I’m extremely proud of all of our volunteers. Members of Hartselle High’s baseball team did a lot of the lifting and heavy work to help us get set up and many of our other volunteers worked straight through for two days without having time to take a break. I don’t recall hearing a complaint from anyone during the whole time.”

“I want to thank everyone who donated items for the yard sale, the volunteers who worked during the sale and those who came to shop and buy,” said SNAP project manager Bob Francis. “The money raised is a big boost and I feel we’re well on our way to having the funds we need to complete the project next year.”

“Some of the people who came to the yard sale went over to take a look at the playground,” he pointed out. “They were awe-stricken and said it was hard for them to imagine something like this being built in Hartselle.

“My observation is when the Hartselle community sees a need, its people will respond.”