Schaumburg event isn't just any garage sale

Only once each year does Woodfield take second place among shopping opportunities in Schaumburg, and it's happening again this weekend.

The 39th annual garage sale of the Timbercrest and Woods subdivisions is expected to draw up to 5,000 visitors to the neighborhood from throughout the region and across state lines.

Up to 160 families among the 580 in the subdivisions are expected to participate, making it a virtual guarantee of great bargains for almost everything imaginable, organizer Rich Gerber said.

The neighborhood is south of Schaumburg Road, west of Roselle Road and north of Weathersfield Way.

The sale runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. But the die-hard bargain-hunters usually arrive early the first day, Gerber warned.

Among the more unusual items this year are a 1974 Corvette, a 1965 Harley-Davidson, an ATV, home theater system, record albums including 78s, an air hockey table, accordion, handmade quilts and antique furniture.

Gerber's favorite story from the sale is when he sold his family's camping trailer at 7:30 a.m. on the first day -- to an Iowa man who needed it to store all the other things he expected to buy that day.

People tend to make an entire day or weekend of their visit, turning the event into a social happening as a well as a chance for serious bargain hunting, Gerber said.

Though he's traveled all over the country, the only garage sales he's seen advertising themselves as larger seem to be made up of professional vendors gathering in a public place, rather than regular residents using their own garages.

"I believe in my heart we're the biggest in the country on an organized basis," he said.

A big part of what's made the event so successful over nearly four decades is the support it receives from the village, he added.

This year, the village made a point to call him and ask when the sale would occur -- deferring its scheduled street and sidewalk improvements until afterward. It also sends about five officers to help handle traffic and parking.

"The village is just unbelievable with this garage sale," Gerber said. "They've also been terrific with the police department."

If you go

What: 39th annual Timbercrest and Woods subdivision garage sale

When: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Where: Neighborhood is south of Schaumburg Road, west of Roselle Road, north of Weathersfield Way in Schaumburg