The event is still at least three months away, but organizers are gearing up for another virtual Great Glebe Garage Sale in 2021.
The massive neighbourhood yard sale is one of the main events co-ordinated every year by the Glebe Community Association.
It has taken place every spring since 1986, typically on the fourth Saturday in May. Participating vendors donate 10 per cent of their earnings to the Ottawa Food Bank.
However, because of public health restrictions surrounding COVID-19, the event was held virtually last year from July 20 to Sept. 7. The GCA is bracing for an online repeat in 2021.
Laura Smith, president of the GCA, said she’s unsure how they will hold the garage sale this spring, but she is predicting it will be held virtually.
Challenging year
Smith said the past year has been a challenge for the Glebe community. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Smith scrambled to switch all community events that would have been held in person to virtual platforms.
“It was a challenge to get people engaged over Zoom meetings,” said Smith. However, because all GCA meetings and events were held online, more people were able to join.
The association’s main challenge this year is engaging with community members. Smith stated: “We are finally getting used to holding meetings and events virtually, and I am impressed by the amount of support that the community has given us.”
Smith said that because most people have been working from home since the start of the pandemic, many have more flexibility in their schedules to attend meetings and events that the association holds.
The GCA advocates for a liveable, sustainable and diverse urban neighbourhood. One of its top priorities is to not only engage current members but also to get new recruits to join the association.
Describing 2020 as a period of adaptation to the “new normal,” Smith said the association is looking forward to hosting more virtual events this year.
