Snow Blankets 4th Annual Chamber Garage Sale

While the Eureka Chamber of Commerce 4th annual Swap Meet and Garage Sale was designed to be held outside 'rain or shine,' Saturday's snowfall gave all participants and organizers a different challenge for the later half of the event held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Six Flags-St. Louis in Eureka.

Snowflakes started at approximately 10:45 a.m. over the event, but many buyers and sellers continued to shop while some scurried to and fro the aisles with chattering teeth before packing it in early.

Last year's event drew 9,000 to 10,000 participants.

Registration for sellers was $30 ahead of time, or $40 as of Saturday, which entitled them to four parking spaces on the Six Flags lot. Vendors provided their own tents, tables, chairs and display materials.

Third-time vendor of this annual event, Dewane Schnider, of Owensville, MO, said he thought the crowd was "good, given the weather and the economy."

Admission of $1 was collected for the chamber's scholarship fund.

The following entities sponsored the chamber's event and coupon sheet:  ; ; Home Furnishings, Antiques and Gifts; Eureka Urgent Care; and Double 4 Trailer Sales; Kevin Coffey for Mayor; Patients First Health Care; ; ; and Eureka-Wildwood Patch.

Items for sale ranged from antiques, clothing, fishing poles and toys to lawn mowers, tools, figurines and bird houses. Games, DVDs and books were available, too. Beds, wheelchairs and other furniture also were plentiful. Among other, interesting notables were door knobs, poker tables and Christmas ornaments.

Food booths provided items for sale, such as funnel cakes, hot beverages, pretzels and nachos.

One happy buyer was Mike Davis, of Villa Ridge, MO, who was all smiles after finding an old-time inflatable kite for $1 at one booth and three batches of string at another booth for a second $1. The kite's price on the package was $3.79 when it was originally sold. Davis said the seller wanted $2 for the kite, but was willing to let it go at $1.

Davis said the kite was similar to one he had when he was 4 years old, when he belonged to a camping club. "Every year, there was a kite contest for the club.  When I was 4, my dad got me one of these inflatable kites and filled it with helium, because he knew I was too young to really compete with the others," he said.

"This kite certainly reminds me of good times."