Great Glebe Garage Sale a truly great day!
Great Glebe Garage Sale a truly great day!
The 40th Great Glebe Garage Sale was, by all accounts, a resounding success!
It took place on a cool and somewhat cloudy May 23, with a temperature comfortable for walking, browsing and bargaining – a relief from previous years of sweltering, mind-numbing heat.
This year for the first time, some streets were closed to traffic, and there were temporary parking restrictions, which may have contributed to an overall sense of safety and calm in the streets. Despite the vast crowds of people busy searching out bargains, chatting with neighbours, navigating around dogs, children, bikes, wagons, buskers, food stalls, sidewalk sales – indeed, all the attributes of a great garage sale – the feeling was largely one of spaciousness and ease of movement on the closed streets (Glebe, First, Second, Third and Fourth avenues on both sides of Bank Street).
“We were extremely pleased with the results of the traffic-calming measures implemented this year,” said Sam Woods, chief organizer of the garage sale for the Glebe Community Association. “Feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive, with many reporting a significant safety increase for both pedestrians and vehicles alike. The GCA looks forward to continuing collaborations with the City of Ottawa to ensure the Great Glebe Garage Sale remains a safe and successful community event for years to come.”
The day was filled with neighbours meeting neighbours, conversation, laughter, serendipitous discoveries and a joyful sense of rediscovering the neighbourhood after a long winter indoors. The feeling of community was palpable.
From left, Sam Woods, Glebe Community Association board member and coordinator of the Great Glebe Garage Sale, Michelle McElligott, City of Ottawa’s traffic manager for special events, and June Creelman, GCA vice president, on a Great Glebe Garage Sale walkabout to survey the scene and assess the impact of the city’s road closures. PHOTO: LIZ MCKEEN
Great Glebe Garage Sale
Photos by
Lucy Bottomley,
Erik Stolpmann and Liz McKeen