Alert the family.Abita Springs’ annual town garage sale Saturday

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Break out your walking shoes. The day thousands of people from across the region eagerly anticipate every year is close at hand. The Abita Springs Whole-Town Garage Sale is Saturday.

“I don’t have a clue how many people come,” said Joanne Barton, coordinator and volunteer. “I’ve heard estimates as high as 30,000, but I don’t know. It is getting bigger every year it seems.”

The sale is a benefit for the Abita Springs Recreation Department.

The genesis of the event is “up for debate, but we’re calling this the 14th annual Abita Garage Sale,” Barton said.

After more than a decade of such sales, there is no doubt the population of the normally sleepy little town will swell for the day as hundreds of home and business owners set up sales on their properties and invite the public to check out tables, yards and porches full of potential treasures.

Even outside sellers are able to take part by renting spaces in the flea market at the ball field on Louisiana Highway 36. Barton said those spaces are “going fast.”

“We have 132 spaces, and we may sell out this year,” she said.

The field across from Town Hall is also filled to overflowing, and the sale is growing. Barton said individual sales spread even beyond the outskirts of Abita. But it is the heart of the town that is transformed for the day.

Individuals and groups of people roam the quaint and historic streets that take on a festive atmosphere enriched by the colors of springtime.

Some pull carts or wagons through blocks of blooming azaleas and wisteria. Others make trips back to nearby vehicles to unload goods and free their hands for more purchases.

Smells of festival food like hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes and cotton candy mix in the air with the more flowery natural seasonal scents.

Barton said she isn’t sure of the general economic impact on the town. And the individual impact varies.

“Some businesses love it,” she said. “It brings shoppers. But some hate it because it fills their parking lots with people who aren’t customers. The townspeople are the same. Some love it, and some hate it. But, if nothing else, it puts Abita Springs on the map. And the whole point is to raise money for the recreation department.”

Barton urges everyone who attends to be careful where they park so they don’t “block driveways or end up in a ditch.”

And she asks anyone who would like to provide a shuttle service and who has insurance to call her at 893-7529.

The town is getting ready to welcome the masses, said Barton.

“Come out and have a good time,” she said.

The sale is set to officially take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. But veteran garage salers don’t need to be told… It’s best to arrive early.