Sale organizers worry that bidders won’t open their wallets — and that fire companies face diminished profits.
Muddy trails: This photo from last year's sale in Strasburg shows how fire company "mud sales" got their name.
By RYAN ROBINSON
Lancaster
Updated Feb 11, 2009 09:26
With the start of Lancaster County's mud sale season just around the corner, firefighters worry that the recession will slash sale proceeds.
The late-winter and early-spring auctions, named for the thawed-out ground conditions, raise large chunks of revenue for rural volunteer fire companies.
A one-year drop in sale profits won't affect fire service to residents, but fire company leaders say it would hurt their efforts to buy equipment or pay for what they've already bought, such as fire engines and renovations.
David Stoltzfus of the Gordonville Fire Company said its spring and fall sales together provide about 90 percent of the company's annual revenues.
The spring mud sale — reportedly the largest firefighters' sale/auction on the East Coast — has grossed about $1 million a year in recent years, he said. Profits are generally between $50,000 and $80,000.
"Some are concerned it might take a hit" this year, he said.
Gordonville's annual fall sales have netted about $25,000 in recent years, Stoltzfus said. But profits dipped by 10 to 15 percent last fall.
Building materials understandably did not sell as well as in past years, but quilts also were off a bit, he said.
And that was before consumer spending really tightened.
If 2009 sales significantly decline, the Gordonville Fire Company will likely have to delay plans to replace a fire engine in the next few years, Stoltzfus said.
Jim Kiscaden said he'll feel very fortunate if the Strasburg Fire Company doesn't see a drop in mud sales receipts on Feb. 28.
"I just don't see as healthy a sale," he said. "The mentality is, people are very judicious of how they are spending money."
The Strasburg mud sale grosses about $285,000, Kiscaden said. Less than 5 percent of sales receipts are on items that have been donated. The rest is consigned.
After paying consignors their share and covering other sale expenses, the fire company's profit is about $30,000, roughly 25 percent of its annual budget.
Tom Walsh is Penryn Fire Company's president and chairman of the mud sale, run by the fire company and Limerock Parochial Schools.
He is concerned about the recession's possible effect on the March 21 mud sale but also optimistic.
"There are a lot of challenges, but also opportunities," Walsh said. "Businesses are down and want to turn dead inventory into cash," he said, so quality consignments could increase.
Penryn's mud sale grosses about $160,000, he said. Net profits are $8,000 to $24,000 and are split between the fire company and Amish schools.
Amish community leaders count on mud sale profits to offset some costs of building new schools, Walsh said.
John Graybill, sales chairman for Bart Township Fire Company, said its mud sale and building materials sale together raise half the company's nearly $90,000 annual budget.
He doesn't expect the sales will be as successful this year because of the economy — bad news for paying off the company's new tank truck.
Graybill said the fire company sells some heavy equipment at its sales only if bids top a minimum amount set by the consignor. So low bids could slash overall sales figures.
Elmer Weber said a drop in mud-sale profits would mean a longer time paying for the recent $1.2 million addition and renovations at the Robert Fulton Fire Company.
The sale committee member said receipts from a sale last fall dropped 20 percent from previous years.
Following is a listing of this spring's mud sales:
Feb. 21: 8 a.m., Honey Brook Fire Company, 679 Firehouse Lane, Honey Brook, in Chester County, (610) 273-2688. Quilts, crafts, new furniture, Winross trucks, Smuckers bells, farm-related supplies, tools, buggies, heifers.
Feb. 26-27: 8:30 a.m., Rawlinsville Fire Company, 33 Martic Heights Drive, Holtwood, 284-3943. Also known as Beiler's Machinery Auction. Feb. 26: new and used farm equipment; Feb. 27: antiques, antique tractors and engines.
Feb. 28: 8:30 a.m., Strasburg Fire Company No. 1, 203 Franklin St., Strasburg, 687-7232. Furniture, antiques, collectibles, quilts, crafts, farm machinery, horses, mules, tools, groceries, fruit, homemade food.
March 7: 8:30 a.m., Bart Township Fire Hall, 11 Furnace Road, Quarryville, in Georgetown, 786-3348. Antiques, quilts, furniture, new and used equipment, small goods, hay, straw, livestock, buggies, tools, crafts and food.
March 14: 8:30 a.m., Gordonville Fire Company, Old Leacock Road, Gordonville, 768-3869. Amish quilts, antiques, collectibles, new and used furniture, tools, farm equipment, horses, mules, buggies, lawn and garden items, barns, utility sheds and trailers, construction equipment.
March 21: 8:30 a.m., Penryn Fire Company No. 1, 1441 N. Penryn Road, Penryn, 664-2825. Woodcrafts, furniture, antiques, collectibles, quilts, crafts, farm equipment, food.
March 21: 8:30 a.m., Bart Township Fire Hall, 11 Furnace Road, Quarryville, in Georgetown, 786-3348. Wood and aluminum siding, windows, doors, paneling, bath tubs, wash bowls, lumber, food.
March 28: 8 a.m., Gap Fire Company, 802 Pequea Ave., Gap, 442-8100. Carriages, lawn furniture, quilts and wall hangings, crafts, farm machinery, Winross trucks, groceries.
April 4: 8:30 a.m., Robert Fulton Fire Company, 2271 Robert Fulton Highway, Peach Bottom, 548-2492. New and used furniture, contractor tools, lawn and garden items, swing sets, crafts, plants, antiques, farm equipment, buggies, wagons, groceries, horses.
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