HHS Trade Day and benefit yard sale Saturday

HALEYVILLE - Rising expenses related to the annual educational tour for Haleyville High School seniors, as well as the increased number of seniors expected to take the trip next spring, have brought the need for the school’s first-ever benefit Trade Day and Yard Sale Saturday, Oct. 3.
The community event will be from 7:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the front parking area of HHS, where not just students will have booths or be selling certain items,  but businesses, churches and other organizations are being encouraged to have a booth at the festival, school officials said.
At least 100 vendor spaces are being marked off in the parking lot.  Each booth space will be $25, they said. 
Donations for the trade day and yard sale are being collected for various booths which will be displaying and selling new or gently used items that the community can donate, indicated HCS Superintendent Dr. Bill Bishop.
Local and area businesses, as well as individuals and any organization wishing to set up a booth or anyone wishing to donate new or gently used items for the yard sale can call the HHS office at (205) 486-3122 or HHS Principal Dr. Davey Reed at (205) 269-9734.
The event will also have various food vendors set up in the high school parking lot, with public parking available at lots throughout the HCS campus, as well as grassy areas that are often used for parking during  ball games and other public events.
All of the proceeds generated from this event will go toward the HHS senior class trip fund to help pay the difference in the total cost per student of $2,300 and the $1,600 each student raises toward the trip, administrators said.
This year, the number of seniors expected to take the trip is already around 65, which is double the amount that took the trip last year, they said.
Educators emphasized that seniors participating in the trade day or yard sale will not have to pay the $25 booth rental fee.  The fee is only for the community renting booth spaces.
“The spaces are already pre-marked,” Reed said. “If they come with a truck and trailer, we already have an idea of putting them in a spot and their truck in the grass out front.”
If a vendor requires extra booth space, they can pay an additional $25, school officials said.
“We hope to have some of the vendors from the 9-1-1 (festival),” Reed said. 
Also, businesses that want to set up booth spaces, similar to what is done for the school’s annual Back to School Block Party, can set up for a $25 rental fee per booth space, with all proceeds helping the seniors on trip expenses, educators reminded.
Those who may sell T-shirts or handmade crafts or goods are also encouraged to have a space for the event, they added.
“We’re trying to give an opportunity for the community to sell their stuff. We know we’ll have a bunch of participation because we will have seniors out here selling their stuff to help them go on their senior trip,” Reed added.
“It’s tougher now for the seniors,” Bishop pointed out. The cost of diesel per gallon has exceeded $6-$7 in some locations and the school usually takes two charter buses of students and chaperones on the senior trip, officials said.
“If fuel prices are the same as they are right now, without a doubt, we’ll get hit with a fuel surcharge,” Reed pointed out. “It’s up as high as it’s been.”
The difference between the senior trip cost for each student at $2,300 and the $1,600 each student wishing to go needs to raise, is usually filled by fundraisers such as the annual senior class chili supper, as well as seniors working concession stands at ball games, Reed added. The difference per student is around $800, they said.
“Already, we’ve had one big fundraiser when seniors worked a game and anybody that worked paid at least half of their (senior trip) deposit,” Reed stated, adding the senior trip deposit is $150 per student.
Bishop explained that through the years, he has heard complaints from the community on how much it costs seniors on various expenses.
“We’re going to give back with this (event) and any other fundraisers we have so if we can lighten that burden on the parents, that is fine,” Bishop pointed out.   “We don’t know if it is going to pay the difference, or if it is just going to cover the buses this year, because we don’t know how much we are going to make.

With rain forecast for Saturday as of press time Tuesday, Sept. 29, there is a possibility this event will be postponed.  Please check the Haleyville High School Facebook page for updates.