Bonne Terre ready for citywide yard sale this weekend

It’s not too late to clean out those garages, empty out those closets and join in on Bonne Terre’s citywide yard sale this weekend, but to get in on all the action, you’ll need to act fast.

Residents can either pay $1 for the basic yard sale permit that’s available year-round, or they can pay $5 for the permit that will cover the citywide yard sale Friday and Saturday. The $5 permit also ensures their address is added to the list of citywide participants over the weekend.

City Clerk Mary Topping said the list, which usually contains anywhere from 20 to 30 addresses, will be available beginning Thursday morning, but to be included, residents will need to get their $5 permit before close of business today.

“It’s still only $1 if you don’t mind not being on the list,” she said. “But usually people want to be on that list. There are some people who participate every year.”

In case residents find the heat too oppressive or their vacation schedules getting in the way, city leaders earlier this month voted to add another citywide yard sale Oct. 4-5.

“We’ve never had a citywide yard sale in the fall since I’ve been here,” Topping said. “It’s always been in August, so that people can make a little money for school shopping. It will be interesting to see if people take advantage of it.”

Yard sale permits are required year-round in Bonne Terre city limits. The $1 permit allows yard sales in two-day increments, and not on Sunday. Citizens are allows to have three yard sales a year, but the citywide sale doesn’t count toward the three, Topping said.

Bonne Terre aldermen approved the city’s budget for the new fiscal year and named two previously-unnamed streets in memory of two police chiefs during a special meeting last week.

Sarah Haas is the assistant editor for the Daily Journal. She can be reached at 573-518-3617 or at shaas@dailyjournalonline.com