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Staff Report

Stephanie Zampini, coordinator of the weekly swap meet at Lake Kathryn Village, shows off her wares including hanging geraniums, wind chimes and jewelry. Photo by Ed Johnson, KP News

Two local events that began separately at about the same time are joining forces for a day on June 7.

On that date, the Key Peninsula swap meet that takes place every Saturday and Sunday and Key Pen Parks’ annual community garage sale collaborate in one big event at Lake Kathryn Village, the site of the swap meet.

According to Stephanie Zampini, Lakebay resident who coordinates the swap meet, the meet began about four years ago at Drive Thru Feed.

In 2012 it moved to its current location and now draws about 15 vendors every weekend. Their wares range from jewelry, dolls and woodcarvings to plant starts and “odds and ends,” she said. “We have a lot of great, really different items at decent prices and it’s a very friendly atmosphere. Everybody really gets along,” Zampini said.

Jessica Smeall, recreation coordinator for Key Pen Parks, said that the community garage sale began in 2011, with goals similar to the swap meet’s.

“We wanted to offer a space and time for people to bring their wares to the park and sell them to the community,” Smeall said.

“But when the swap meet started up in Lake Kathryn Village, we decided we didn’t want to compete with them, we wanted to work with them and support them. So this year we’re teaming up and having our sale on one of the days of their swap meet.”

Smeall anticipates that there may be as many 40 garage sale vendors, based on last year’s participation.

The vendor fee is $15 for the day, two thirds of which will go to Key Pen Parks’ middle school volunteering program called People All Love to Serve — or PALS, Smeall explained.

“We’ll also have our own booth with marketing materials and giveaways and information about our summer schedule,” she added.

Garage sale vendors are welcome to return on Sunday to the swap meet, Zampini said. “They can just pay $20 for the whole weekend.” The fee helps pay for site rental, portable bathrooms, advertising and other incidentals.

Swap meet organizers also are looking ahead to other summertime events. “We’ll be having Christmas in July and we’re also planning something special for August,” Zampini said.

To sign up for the swap meet, call (253) 884-9469. To sign up for KeyPen Parks garage sale, go to keypenparks.com or call Smeall at (253) 884-9240 extension 22.