Hand-made signs posted on roadways all over Whidbey Island herald the beginning of garage sale season. In days gone by, garage sale shopping was a family activity. Mom and dad would load the kids in the car and head out on a pleasant Saturday morning drive to meet the neighbors and find bargains. The kids would break open their piggy banks in hopes of buying a treasure hidden away in someone’s garage. But garage sales lost much of their popularity when kids started on insisting high-tech gadgets of the sort you can’t find at a yard sale. And nowadays parents can search Craigslist to find used items at a bargain.

Yet perhaps it’s time for garage sales to make a comeback. At a time of when so many people have so little discretionary cash to spend, garage sales make a lot of sense. They’re fun. They’re thrifty. Fortunately for Whidbey Island residents, the grandaddy of garage sales takes place in Coupeville this weekend. For the 30th year, the Coupeville Lions are holding their humungous garage sale and fundraiser. People in the Coupeville community donate all sorts of antiques, tools, sporting goods, collectibles and unusual items to the sale. The event is famous for drawing a crowd of folks who can get a little crazy once shopping officially begins. It can be a lot of fun if you don’t mind a sharp elbow or two.

Best of all, the proceeds go to many worth programs, including Boys and Girls Club, Whidbey Animals’ Improvement Foundation, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Lions Club sight and hearing programs and Camp Horizon for disabled people. So come join the fun. The sale is located at the Coupeville Elementary School. Shopping begins at 9 a.m. Saturday when the starting line drops. Shopping continues until 4 p.m. Sunday’s hours are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.