Lansing to Hold Inaugural HOBO Day on Saturday

By Joel Frady

As part of the effort to promote the town of Lansing, the downtown will be opened up to merchants and artists on Saturday, May 9, for the inaugural HOBO Day celebration. The event will feature a community yard sale held on the Creeper Trail behind the Lansing Volunteer Fire Department starting at 7:30 a.m.

Brenda Reeves, a member of the Lansing Board of Commissioners, said that she came up with the idea to hold a community yard sale.

"I wanted to come up with a good name for it," she said. "Since we have several activities based around the Virginia Creeper train theme, the townspeople decided to call it HOBO days."

Reeves noted that the event is part of a continued effort to help the town grow.

"We're trying to do things in Lansing to promote Lansing, to bring people into the town to see what we have there, to get involved and do things together," she said.

She noted that unlike the town's family-themed events, such as the haunted hayride or the Ola Belle Music Festival, the community yard sale was targeted towards women.

For anyone trying to sell some homemade goods or some dusty garage relics, HOBO Day provides a prime opportunity. Reeves said there is no fee for vendors who set up at HOBO Day to sell their goods, and the vendors can keep all the money they make.

Breakfast and lunch will both be offered at the fire department, and each meal will help support a cause: proceeds from breakfast will go toward the proposed Lansing Medical Clinic, while the funds raised at lunch will benefit the fire department.

Reeves hopes the event will also help gather attention for the proposed clinic. She said "it would be wonderful to have a clinic" and noted that the former town clinic "was very busy and served the needs of all the people.

"With the economy, a lot of people don't want to have to drive a long way," she added. "Or if someone gets stung by a bee and they're allergic, there'd be a doctor right there."

HOBO Day will also be open for any musicians or artists who want to share their craft with the public.

"We're inviting anyone that plays music that does arts and crafts," said Aurel "Frenchy" Premblay. "If you bring a table or a tent with you, it's free. Everyone can set up downtown and we can have the whole day as a celebration."

In the case of rain, the HOBO Day will be held on Saturday, May 16. To find out more about the event, call (336) 877-2929 or e-mail brendareeves@inbox.com.