Gary Dickens                   November 2011

There is a certain magic about the annual Ladies Board Rummage Sale.

It's been called Loudoun's greatest treasure hunt and that's true for sure. And yes, it raises a fabulous amount of money every year. Then of course, there are all the bargains to be had.

But it's been hard for me to fully put my finger on the magic, I've known that it was resident in the hundreds of volunteers that carry out the Herculean task of collecting, sorting, testing, cleaning, organzing, hauling, displaying, etc., etc., etc., the tens of thousands of items to sold within the space of just two days.

Then yesterday it came to me...

You all know our local artist Stilson Greene, yes? He does the weekly cartoon for Leesburg Today and is a fabulous commercial artist to boot. I happen to know that he gets a lot of work done while listening to his favorite musicians, John Lennon comes to mind immediately.

Well Stilson, truth be told, I do the same. Chicago, MercyMe, The Corrs are a few of the groups that accompany my Photoshop and Dreamweaver sessions.

Yesterday was a Corrs day (that's one "o", two "r"s; not two "o"s, one "r"). An Irish band they were, old Irish tunes like "Haste to the Wedding" and "Toss the Feathers" to more recent pop works like "Breathless" and "Runaway". Brilliant musicians, stunning harmonists.

They do a song called "No Frontiers" which has the chorus "Heaven knows no frontiers, and I've seen heaven in your eyes".

And thus the serendipity of writing copy while listening to great music...

The magic I've been trying to identify lies in the eyes of the volunteers. When you talk to them, there is no place they'd rather be that weekend; there's no other customer they'd like to be working with than you; there's no other cause they want to be giving their time to.

Please take a few moments and browse through the photos and captions that follow. Realize, that indeed, the annual Ladies Board Rummage Sale is Loudoun's greatest treasure hunt.

But perhaps the real treasures there aren't of cloth, wood or leather. I'd propose that the hunt need only go as far as the eyes of those there to serve you. When you go next year I hope you'll see it in an entirely different light.

And as I'm doing now, paste the YouTube url below into another browser tab and enjoy while you pursue the photos (hit the "skip ad" button, get right to the good stuff).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS5_RgwEiDc

The main building at Morven Park's Equestrian Center is transformed into a small mall once a year for the sale. Everything is neatly organized into departments, ready to take home.	Judy Sweezey (left, Ladies Board Historian) and Joan Elliot (Ladies Board President) could be found co-chairing the furniture department.
The Geico Caveman dropped by to lend some encouragement. The sign around his neck? Well it reads, "Your husband called - he said to buy ANYTHING you want and he'll pay!!! Really!"	Finding his inner child...
Looks like a little wheeling & dealing in the expansive women's department.	The rummage sale occupies some 40,000 sq ft in numerour buildings across the whole equestrian center. I mentioned that it is incredibly well organized?
The veteran and the rookie: Joyce Bengston (pink hat) has been a volunteer for 43 years and currently commutes from Phoenix each year. Across the table is June Hutchinson, volunteering for her first time.	If the rummage sale had been started a few years earlier, Scarlett would not have had to pull the drapes down to make her dress. 73 years of high quality bargains!
One of the annual highlight's is the Friday silent auction. All sorts of high end items have been donated. This canoe added $425 to the coffers.	A collectible bear holds court over the silent auction.
Despite the Friday downpour hundreds turned out to lay claim to some great bargains.	Shoes can be found throughout...
Volunteers get hungry too. Staff has set up a canteen in the little house you pass on the way to the French Room.	"Esprit de corps" is the phrase of the day. Passionate volunteers feed the passionate volunteers, keeping everyone refreshed for the sale.
Scores of stalls, empty of equine inhabitants, are pressed into service to display innumerable items.	The bibliophile will find row upon row of carefully organized books.
The Mobile Health Unit, one of the projects of the Ladies Board, was on hand for health screenings.	Finally, one must drop into the French Room, home to high end fashions at bargain prices.