MFP Yard Sale—a treasure hunter’s dream: Residents were excited for one of the biggest fundraising events of the year, with the crowd on opening day spending up to $10,000 collectively.[/caption]

Since 1985, the Mountain Forum for Peace (MFP) has worked to bring peace to Nederland and our mountain communities. Every year the nonprofit organization awards grants, hosts art contests, and welcomes guest speakers to teach environmental justice and peaceful living. And, every summer, the MFP holds its annual Yard Sale.

Once the warm weather arrives, mountain residents begin the process of spring cleaning. Houses, garages, and sheds are cleared of all sorts of clutter, from old, still functional equipment that has since been replaced, to forgotten treasures that could use a new home, to be cherished again by fresh eyes.

The MFP 2024 Yard Sale offers the people of Nederland a chance to donate their items toward not just one, but two good causes. Attendees may not only find the perfect knickknack or the missing piece for their home collection, but each sale also helps the MFP to continue to operate towards its mission of peace.

The sale started on Friday, May 31 at 9 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. there was a line outside the Nederland Community Center doors that wrapped around the building. Even while waiting in line, residents were finding and grabbing useful outdoor items, like gardening tools and recreational equipment, and were ready to purchase the items or put them on hold once the doors finally opened.

The mad dash of people vigorously combed through tables of kitchen gadgets and decorative teapots, glasses, mugs, and cast iron pans and skillets.

They excitedly flipped through stacks of books, DVDs, VHSs, and LPs. They flocked to racks of clothes, from formal business wear to ski pants, and they browsed through aisles of furniture, from practical stools, chairs, and tables, to more fanciful fare, like old sewing machine tables and a vintage standing radio the size of a jukebox.

Those keen shoppers who were patient enough to wait until Sunday were privy to all items being half price up until 11:30 a.m., before the sale was closed down for a short hiatus. After that hiatus, however, every item left inside the Nederland Community Center was offered completely free.

The 2024 MFP Yard Sale was a great success, largely in part to the work of those dedicated MFP volunteers, as well as to all those in our mountain communities who donated and shopped. The opening day for this year’s sale garnered up to $10,000, and was one of the strongest openings in the sale’s history.

A very special thank you from The Mountain-Ear to all those who helped to contribute to the worthy cause of peace in our lives.