1 month ago Share The event drew an estimated 1,000 guests last March and is canceled due to the pandemic.
About a year ago, hundreds of shoppers packed into the Father Edward Pick Fellowship Hall at St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church. When the Royal Rummage rolled around on Longboat Key, shoppers unfailingly descended in a bargain-fueled fervor.
But this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep events on ice, the Royal Rummage has been canceled and there are no plans to reschedule the event.
For now, it would be impossible to host a sale anytime soon. All items that had been donated to the church were donated to a parish in Wauchula, said Women’s Guild President Sue DiNatale. It will go to the parish’s migrant workers, she said.
The parishioners of St. Mary, Star of the Sea Catholic Church kept up their tradition of the annual Christmas concert, albeit with a few tweaks for 2020.
On Dec. 11, attendees paid their admission (an unwrapped toy to donate to a local charity for Christmas) and filed into the church to find their seats. Normally, the concert is held in the Father Edward Pick Fellowship Hall, but the church allows for more spacing between attendees. Organizer Mary Elizabeth Carey thanked everyone for distancing so well as they settled in. This is a little different than concerts in the past, but we re still going to make sure we have something for you more important than cocktails and wine, Carey said when addressing the crowd before the concert.