The walk down Wildcat Boulevard on City-Wide Garage Sale Day was like the second verse of “Dixie.”

“In Dixieland where I was born, early on some frosty mornin’” would have described the morning perfectly—it was frosty. A beautiful white film of ice covered almost anything that is flat like roofs and the ground.

The trees did continue shooting leaves and early spring flowers opened after the icy frost melted off. City-Wide Garage Day is different in several ways. The most obvious is people setting out their wares at six o’clock in the morning.

This year, the vendors had dug out their winter wear. Their hoods were up and tied, and gloves covered their cold fingers. A group was setting up in the open land east of Bud’s Tires Sales on Harmony Street. They were busy as I passed their way.

Secondly, the traffic was much more intense as vendors rushed to the fast food places and the donut shop to fill up before the “maddening crowds” appeared.

We did not have a garage sale this year. We have had sales in the past and one year even sold items by flashlight as early as 5:30 a.m. That year, we had a dining room set in the front yard that a man wanted to buy. He had been to McDonalds and it had not opened so he was driving around town looking for bargains. We dug out the flashlight, showed him the dining room set, took his money, and went back to our wake-up cup of coffee.

I noticed all the fast food restaurants were open early, or at least had a crew on hand to open soon. With thousands (If you think I exaggerate, you did not drive down Oak Ridge or Varney Streets at 8 a.m.) of visitors with pockets full of money and eyes open for bargains, nearly every business in Neosho had the “open” sign glowing in its window.

The extra traffic does not move where I walk, so I was not bothered. I did, however, keep a watchful eye open when I crossed a street. I traveled my usual route which I normally vary on weekends.

The early morning sky was clear, helping the cold frost cover much of the world. The stars shone brightly in the deep blue sky; they are unmoved by garage sales or frost.
There was little wind.

I had dressed in my 30-degree clothing, so I was snug as I walked along. In fact, with no breeze, I grew warm about half way down the trail.

I hope the shoppers enjoyed their stay in Neosho for the City-Wide Garage Sale. If they don’t have fun, then why do they return year after year?

Take a walk, watch for pedestrians, do not forget to use those signal lights, be extra careful near garage sales, and see what you notice while passing along Wildcat Boulevard.