By Anne Gibson
The community room and patio where the Friends of the Esmond Station Library would normally do their book sales to benefit the library has never been open since the completion of construction. The continued closure of the library facility is due to restrictions involving Covid19. The Friends have had to find creative ways in which to raise money for library projects.
The latest creative venture found the Friends becoming a part of the annual Del Webb Community yard sale where residents of its 606 homes have the opportunity to sell their slightly used treasures. An example is the bicycle they first bought when they moved in and in a couple of years decided a golf cart is more to their liking. Del Webb is designed for those over fifty populations.
“The Del Webb at Rancho Del Lago community holds an annual yard sale to allow residents to sell items they can no longer use. This has been a successful community event for many years,” said Lou LaFrate, President of the Del Webb Home Owners Association.
“Home Owners Associations (HOA’s) are designed and established to manage common or shared property, protect owners’ property values, provide services to residents, and develop a sense of community through social activities and amenities. The Del Webb at Rancho Del Lago’s mission statement is ‘To sustain an attractive yet affordable community where civic-minded, active adults can continue to grow physically and intellectually.’ A community yard sale is just one of the many activities the residents do to fulfill that mission,” LaFrate said.
A big thank you goes to the Del Webb HOA Board of Directors members for having their annual community yard sale. The members are President Lou LaFrate, Vice President Ted Swofford, Treasurer Susan Prentiss, Members-at-Large Karen Gibbs, and Kevin McDermott. Jill Ward serves as HOA Manager for Del Webb.
On Saturday, October 9th a little before sunrise, the coyotes were howling off in the dark as Friend’s and other homeowners began moving tables and their wares into their driveways. At 7 a.m. sharp all four gates in Del Webb opened and the race was on in search of the coveted treasures or in the Friend’s case, books.
As the morning progressed loaded pick-up trucks filled with purchases cruised the streets looking for still more. In the case of the Friend’s book sales were brisk with some customer’s leaving with Safeway grocery paper bags full of books.
“Cold weather is coming! This is my reading for the winter,” said a woman, who had just moved into Del Webb from Ohio and who will most likely be surprised at the warmth of Vail’s winters.
Helping out with the sale were Friend’s members Janice Allen, Mark Favetti, Theresa Foerster, Jessica Harrington, Carol Maynard, Kiki Ngo, Crystal Sheeley, and David Stitt.
Friend’s Board Members are Anne Gibson, Mark Favetti, Jessica Harrington, Tanya Hoose, Ethan Hurley, Pam Kelty, and Kristina Knauer. Esmond Station Managing Librarian is Mary McKinney.
Whittley “Anne” Gibson is a third generation Tucsonan and alumni of the University of Arizona. She has been an active community member in the greater Vail area since the late 1970s.
