Belle Vernon Parish is ready for annual Junque sale

Story and pictures by Logan Johnson
Catholic Accent Communications Intern

BELLE VERNON – Junk sells well at St. Sebastian Parish in Belle Vernon. The parish will host its annual “Junque Sale” which starts Thursday, July 27 with a pre-sale and admission fee of five dollars from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

The Junque sale features 18 shopping categories from board games, kitchen appliances, holiday decorations, sporting supplies, handbags, books, and much more, said parishioner and sale organizer Bonnie Halinka. “This year we just got a generous donation of expensive handbags which we hope to sell to the people who love handbags,” said Halinka.

Father Michael J. Crookston, pastor, said Junque holds a special place in his heart.

“As the leader of the parish, I am edified by the number of people that dedicate their time to the fundraiser to help the church and the community,” he said.

The Junque Sale began as a small school fundraiser but has become a huge event for the parish.

“Apparently it started as a school fundraiser in combination with a festival that the school sponsored, and over the years it evolved into the Junque sale,” said Father Crookston.

The goal for the Junque Sale is to the people who are struggling buy items they need while serving as a fundraiser for the parish.

“I am hoping to get more people to come because of the economy and realizing the value of coming here rather than Walmart,” said Halinka.

The volunteers of the Junque sale enjoy helping the parish and enjoy spending time with each other. Volunteer and parishioner Sue Ann Edwards says seeing the community and parish come together makes volunteering for this event special.

“This event draws the community and parish together and it is so great to see the community support the Parish,” Edwards said.

The event will wrap up with a ‘fill a bag sale’ starting at 5:30 pm, on Saturday, July 29.