Turnout at the 2017 opening day for the Ree-Play sale.

Yesterday was the opening day for the annual Ree-Play sale, a fundraiser for three public parks in Beacon put on by the Wee Play Community Project at the University Settlement Camp at 668 Wolcott Ave.. It's held from Friday to Sunday, 9 am to 1 pm each day. Despite my best intentions to get this article written prior to the sale (yay to those of you who saw this article, which let you know about the opportunity to donate your stuff), I was shopping the sale bright and early Friday morning to score a simple (yet normally pricy) high chair for a deep deal. This is what you can do too, today and tomorrow. Saturday will feature a balloon man to entertain the kids while parents and grandparents shop, and on Sunday, the goods will be half-price. Oh yeah.

Be sure to watch their Facebook page for sneak-peek looks into what is available.

First-Day Success

My own bounty. A simple high chair was high on my list, after living through two hugely bulky high chairs.

Despite the rain, people turned out and filled all parking available in the upper field at the University Settlement Camp, down below at the Beacon Pool, and on the road leading up from the pool to the camp casino building. The line was long, but shoppers stayed focused and it moved fast.

Ringing up their first day, the Wee Play Community Project reported earnings of $6,000 - so far. This is great news for Beacon parks; the last major donation that Wee Play made was three umbrella shade structures. If you are a regular user of the jungle gyms at the parks, you will notice new equipment here and there to spice things up a bit. Go ahead and thank Wee Play for those, too. Maintained entirely by different volunteers each year, this park system is a huge benefit to living in Beacon. The parks can be found down at the water at Riverfront Park, near the mountain at Green Street Park, and the Tot Park at Memorial Park (also near the mountain, but on the river side of Fishkill Creek. You know. By Ron's!)

Keep Your Eyes Open for Sorted Stuff

There is a. lot. in here, but it is sorted, even down to balls of socks. You'll need to walk slowly, head down, eyes like hawks, to find what you need.

Food and Coffee - Yes.

You need coffee and snacks. And Wee Play has you covered. The people who contribute to the exquisite local, but not your run-of-the-mill bake sales, also bake for this one. You can choose from Confetti Lemon Bars, Small Banana Raisin Bread, Monster Cookies, and more. Warm coffee is also available, as are cheese sticks, juice and yogurt for little protein seekers.