There will be no monthly Briar Patch Yard Sale in Sterling in August, because vendors broke the rules.
"Every single one of the rules have been broken by multiple vendors," said Sky Dantinne, manager of the Sterling Community Center.
He said the salespeople sign contracts that prohibit leaving trash, boxes and unwanted sale items in the park, and prohibit the sale of pornography, firearms, knives, crossbows, and any other weapon. No parking is allowed in the turn lane on Fredrick Road or in front of the fire hydrants, and vendors must leave at 2 p.m., according to the contract. The vendors sell their wares at the park on Sterling Boulevard and the adjacent Frederick Road.
Dantinne said the community center's advisory board serves as an umbrella organization for the yard sales. The county owns the park.
The size of the yard sale has grown to more than 100 vendors at a time, he said. For the past three-and-a-half years, volunteer Barbara Stitt has overseen the entire event.
The job is too much for one volunteer, he said. "We're going to help her."
Sue Murphy, a Woodbridge vendor who has followed the rules, welcomed the idea. "If they got a few more volunteers … someone at closing time to make sure they pick up the trash, I don't think this would be a great problem," she said.
Murphy said she told Stitt that she would cry if the yard sale were eliminated. "This is what I look forward to every month," she said, in a telephone interview. "I drive 38 miles each way. I have to get up at four in the morning to get a decent spot over there."
Steve Torpy of the county Parks and Recreation Department, said the yard sales should resume in the next month or two. "We definitely are shooting to start it up this season," he said. "Essentially, the number of participants has grown to a size we felt it was necessary to step back and evaluate the procedures if it is to run more effectively."
Murphy, who sells used and new toys and household goods, said vendors would fill all of the space facing the boulevard and up to the crest of the hill on Frederick Road on a nice day.
Torpy and Dantinne said the advisory committee is looking at some changes involving the registration process but they were reluctant to disclose them until they are finalized.
Torpy said people enjoy coming to Briar Patch Park. "We love the event," he said. "It is a great event for the community."
Dantinne said the Jaycees used to handle the yard sales and the upkeep of the park. When the civic organization disbanded, the property was turned over to the county.