Annual rummage sale makes changes to event amid pandemic

An annual rummage sale in Sioux Falls isn’t letting the Coronavirus spoil their plans.

Kingswood Rummage is traditionally in late April, however due to COVID-19 it’s now postponed to early June.

Kingswood Rummage is used to welcoming people by the hundreds to their rummage sales, but the Coronavirus pandemic will change the way people shop at this year’s event.

The Kingswood Rummage Sale has been a part of the Sioux Falls community for 42 years, and with the Coronavirus shutting down a lot of stores, they will continue to sell their goods at a later date.

Kingswood Rummage Board Vice President Bridget Myers said, “People are struggling to find things, and we are looking at the opportunity that we can help people that need things right now and aren’t able to afford things at the big box stores and so they want to be able to come get things at a discount.”

Kingswood Rummage will now take place June 3rd-6th, with some guidelines in place.

Kingswood Rummage Board President Larry Schnabel said, “We’re posting guidelines for shoppers and homeowners to follow. We would like everyone to wear a mask if possible, we want everybody to keep a six foot distance and use hand sanitizer.”

Some sales might even go a step further.

Myers added, “I’m considering a hand washing station and sanitizer because there are some people who don’t like sanitizer. It’s too dry on the hands or the alcohol content in it.”

At rummage sales, cash is exchanged many times throughout the day, which is why Bridget Myers plans on dedicating one person to handle the money.

“The person that is handling money, will be the money person, so they can sanitize between each person and also sanitize the money as we are putting it into the till,” said Myers.

At the end of the day, the event is still on, and the board says they is looking forward to this years event.

“We just have a lot of fun with shoppers. Everybody that shops is very nice and its nice meeting people from different cities and states,” Schnabel said.

Another big change to this year’s sale is there will be no portable bathrooms. Just another way that Kingswood is slowing the spread of the virus.