‘Massive’ sale planned for annual Country Store

Grace Community Church’s long-standing fundraiser in Boulder City is happening this week and will have more items for sale than ever before.

The 72nd annual Country Store takes place at the church, 1150 Wyoming St., from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19.

“We have a massive, massive amount of product this year, so much more than we’ve ever had in every department,” said Pandora Ahlstrom, chairman.

The two-day event features used items for sale in 16 departments, including appliances, clothes, linens, jewelry, shoes, lamps, books, music, electronics, tools and furniture.

“I think we have too many items to display on the first day,” Ahlstrom said. “It’s so exciting. People were so completely generous.”

This year’s Country Store will feature original paintings by the late Eleanor Beckert, whose family donated a lot of her work for the fundraiser.

“There are some pretty spectacular originals,” she said.

To house the items, the church uses all of its space and the adjacent American Legion building.

With the used items, Grace Community Church will have a cafe with pies for sale by the piece or whole, coffee, chili and hot dogs and bakery items made by church members.

The church and volunteers start setting up for the sale a week in advance.

All of the money from the sale, which is open to the public, goes to charities and missions.

“I’m absolutely confident that we’ll get more contributors and be able to donate to more charities,” she said.

Ahlstrom said the church board will decide how to allocate the funds. Two local nonprofits, Lend A Hand of Boulder City and Emergency Aid of Boulder City, are usually recipients, she added.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.