My Favorite Day of the Year: Tag Sale Day in Deerfield

There's a hum in the air, that distinct buzzing of the late summer early fall insects. The sunlight is clear, and direct, punishing at some points of the day, then turning to a softer glow in the late afternoon.

I'm passing out flyers, one by one, one in the hand of each businss owner to put up in the window. I felt like by handing each one out, I was valueing them each a little more, and that they would be put up, rather than thrown out after I leave.

It's time for Tag Sale Day in Deerfield, my creation from last year that drew 60 sales. I am hoping that we have 80 this year! I am keeping it all simple, the poster is sparse but I think effective, and I love the fact that it's about having sales at each person's house. Nothing central, no big event, just a series of simultaneous little ones. Collective action.

The Momentum of Tag Sale Day is Energizing the Village

It's time to start thinking about writing again. I'm back from trips to Colombia and the Alps, and next week I'll hang a new exhibit of photographs from the first trip. I was greatly assisted by shooter Paul Shoul, who took my collection of more than 1000 photos and culled them down into 24 good images for the cafe walls.

I've been doing as much PR as I can to promote Tag Sale Day in Deerfield, while trying to find the right people to staff the cafe. The better job I do at this, the easier it will be to get back over to the office and write those two articles I owe the website. I never knew how hard it was to cover all of these shifts...but then again, the cafe is hard work.

It's really been fun seeing how positive people are about this Tag Sale Day. We are going to set up our GoNOMAD Cafe tent out on Elm St., so people who are driving into town will see it there with a sign that says Get Your Tag Sale Maps Here! I am thinking of selling coffee there too, since who doesn't want a cuppa joe while thinking about a Saturday morning full of tag sailing?

We've gotten the notice up on the local cable TV and expect to see Channel 3 Springfield show up to shoot a TV news spot about the event. One woman on Sugarloaf St. said that having this event has changed her whole opinion about Deerfield, and that now she's planning on attending Town Meeting, for the first time in many years. She thanked me and it made me feel good.

The Recorder's Editorial Board is 'Sold on Tag Sales'

I don't usually read the Recorder's editorial page, but there it was, an irresistable headline: "Sold on the tag sales." The great grey beast has decided to come out in favor of our idea of holding the Town Wide Tag Sale, and in the lead editorial encouraged the Deerfield Selectboard to approve the idea, since it has the potential to bring people to town, and it's not just 'business as usual.'

Then I went to the post office, and Kathy the clerk brought it up, saying she thought it was a great idea. Then I got a call at the cafe, it was Chris Collins of WHMP, wanting me to come on the show and talk about the tag sales. At 7:45, I'll chat up the host, who now does the radio show solo, after the Advocate's Tom Vannah has moved on. Hey, I can see some momentum here!

Just as all of this starts to gel, and the Selectmen meet on Sept 4--poof! I fly south to Colombia. I am joining my friends Larry Parnass, Tom Gates and Adam Graham on a journey to a small fishing village on the remote Pacific coast of this wild country. The plane is so small that we've been asked to bring just 22 pounds of gear. And I've already been assured, there is no internet, so no laptop will be needed.

As much as I hate to leave in the heat of battle, travel is in my blood, and so I'll be on the way to the airport early Thursday. You'll hear all about it some time after Sept 7, when I can again hook myself up to post blogs.

Town Wide Tag: Every Sale on the Google Map

Tonight I paced, waiting until 7:29 to leave the house to attend the Deerfield Selectboard meeting at town hall. I was on the agenda but first the distinguished state senator Stan and state rep Steve who were there to present an award to a 24-year volunteer, Richard Stellman.

I chatted up the Gazette reporter who I had met in the afternoon in my office, trying to fill him in on what was being discussed. "Oxford" came up, which I explained, refers to the 16 acres in the center of the village that is being developed by the town. (I hope I can move there someday.)

When it was my turn, I realized that since there were no spectators, I was talking to the CCTV more than just to the Selectboard. They too, spoke into the camera but often they talked so softly that even a strong mike would be challenged to hear it. We batted around the various contingencies, discussed having Steve Schecterle's lot available for people who want to set up sales and don't have a yard. Carolyn and Mark both were enthusiastic about the idea, and wanted to make it happen. It's called Tag Sale Day in Deerfield.

We talked about them waiving the $5 fee, but keeping the requirement to get a license to have a sale. Then Bernie brought out the 1977 era regulations on sales. More discussion. Then Mark Gilmore suggested that it would be a good thing to have the sales out there on the road on the way into town, because there are a lot of parking spots.

Then John Paciorek, who had been silent throughout the discussion so far, weighed in, sagely, sharply. "I went into this saying I didn't like this. But... I'm willing to give it a try." He suggested that we still charge the fee for the sale permits. But we'd limit the number of permits, so that they were more in demand. So there will be just 100 permits available, first-come, first serve. The list of tag sales and the map will be published on the Deerfield Attractions.com website, so anyone will be able to find all of the sales. This is going to make people eager to jump in and get the permit, because it will be so well publicized on the web.

We still need to check on police issues and confirm our date but it is tentatively scheduled for Saturday Oct 4 from 8 am to 2 pm. Stay tuned, this idea is going to get a lot of life going in the little towne. And it all started with a website called Deerfield Attractions.