Behind the scenes at St. Peter's Barn Sale

Back in March, volunteers at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Geneva began to sort through the stupendous amount of donations for St. Peter's Barn Sale, which takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20, at the Kane County Fairgrounds.

"From March to August, we have what we call 'supersort.' We have volunteers unpacking and sorting and putting things into boxes," said Lisa O'Leary-Volk, who co-chairs the furniture department.

Donations pour in throughout the six months leading up to the sale. Trucks are sent out to retrieve large items and a donation room is set up at the church for everything else.

The church does very little to advertise for the acquisition of items.

"It's mostly word-of-mouth," O'Leary-Volk said.

According to O'Leary-Volk, the items are divided into 17 categories and she listed a few: "Toys, antiques and collectibles, books, bikes, furniture, home décor, plants, sporting goods, china and glass, and tons of clothing accessories, shoes and linens. And there is also the country market - home-baked goods and garden produce; they're very popular."

The organization stops taking donations in mid-August to begin the task of organizing and pricing. Once that is accomplished, the semitrailers pull up.

"We have six months of donations to pack onto wooden pallets, and the pallets are stacked up onto 26 semitrailers," said Melinda Bernhard, who, with her husband Mike, is serving as general chair for the first time.

At this point, the 150-200 volunteers launch into overdrive.

"Pretty much since we got the keys to the grounds we've been here round the clock, from 8 a.m. till midnight each night," said Bernhard.

When the Barn Sale begins, about 10,000 people will walk through the fairgrounds, which are completely taken up by the event.

Once the event is over, the leftovers are distributed to other charities and then, next March, the entire process will begin again at St. Peter's for the final year at its parish.

"Each parish has the Barn Sale for 10 years and we are in year nine," Bernhard explained.

After that, another parish will voluntarily take the reins. "Whoever says they have the manpower and the fortitude to make this happen for another 10 years," she said.

Manpower is certainly a necessity.

When asked how many volunteers turn up throughout the process, Bernhard quickly responded, "Not enough." Between 150-200 is the average, she said. "We could use 150-200 more."

Bernhard, who has participated in smaller roles over the years, is surprised by a number of factors now that she and husband, Mike, have taken the job of overseeing the event, along with Tony and Meg Feldhauf and Laura and Jim Kosmach.

"The magnitude of the task, the dedication of the chairs, the average age of the volunteers," she said. "I would guess the average age of the volunteer to be about 65.

"We have a lady who's turning 90, and she's not even a member of the parish. She has a friend who is. When I get tired I think of my 90-year-old lady. If she can do it, I can."

There have been times when the clock is ticking toward the opening of the gates that Bernhard worries the enormous task will not be done in time.

"The blessing is, it always gets done," she said. "We wonder how things are going to get done and God provides and the right people show up. It's beautiful and humbling and very rewarding."

Aside from the proceeds, some of which will be used for building repairs for the church and school, Bernhard sees a number of benefits in the experience.

"It's community-building for our volunteers and our parish, and it's also serving a greater need for the people who come to shop; people who can't afford to buy clothing are able to come here and buy clothing for their families," she said.

"We've also been able to eliminate debt at the parish level and we've been able to provide services to the community throughout the year, such as the St. Peter's Food Pantry and other endeavors that help us reach out to the community year-round and not just during the sale."

The sale takes place from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19-20, at the Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles.

For details, visit www. stpeterchurch.com/59/.

If you go

What: St. Peter's Barn Sale

When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20

Where: Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles

Admission: Free

Details: <a href="http://www.stpeterchurch.com/59">www.stpeterchurch.com/59</a>