Through the decades, the White Elephant Sale at the First Congregational Church has been the spot in town to hunt for treasures and bargains.

As soon as the clock strikes 9 a.m. on the first day of the sale, people lining up outside the church rush to rummage through clothing, luxury goods, bikes and toys, among other items, organizers say. People used to camp outside to be ready for the start of the sale.

“It’s just fun, and everybody’s having a good time,” said Bob Davis, chairman of the White Elephant Sale.

This year marks the 80th annual White Elephant Sale, which will take place on Friday, July 8 and Saturday, July 9 at the First Congregational Church.

Organizers say the regulars to the sale and the community of volunteers make the long-running sale remarkable.

Priscilla Swanson, a past chairman of the sale and past president of the church’s Ladies Benevolent Society, said she loves that the same people come year after year. She’s watched their children grow up and bring their own children to the event.

“I just love working with the people and seeing the same ones come every year and greet you and [say] ‘glad to see you again,’” Swanson said. “You only see them once a year, but you do know them.”

Swanson said her own grandchildren plan their summer vacations around the event.

Barbara Traskos, a longtime resident of Old Lyme who became involved in the sale in 1991, had previously helped count the money when she was in high school and her aunt worked as a treasurer at the sale.

The White Elephant Sale — run by the Ladies Benevolent Society — was part of the fabric of the community, she recalled.

“We were a very small town, so it was natural for everyone who was a member of the church to join in and participate anyway they could,” she said.

The sale, which in the 1950’s also encompassed a fair and square dance, has grown over the years, according to a news release.

Harriet Hoag of the church’s Ladies Benevolent Society, who was married to Rev. W. Dixon Hoag, helped start the White Elephant Sale, according to news archives.

In 1937, the White Elephant Sale raised $295, according to news reports.

Today, the sale spans 24 departments and raised a net of about $79,000 last year, said Davis. The majority of profits from the sale benefit charity organizations.

Volunteers have sold items from a 36-place China dish set, to a 1940’s wedding dress, a collection of dolls worth thousands of dollars, and a 19th century silver bowl.

“We get some wonderful treasures,” said Nathalie Fogg, a past chairman of the sale and past president of LBS.

Davis said the sale, which currently encompasses eight days of intake and two days of selling, runs with the help of more than 250 volunteers. Several volunteers are from the nearby Christ the King Church.

Volunteers have held the sale throughout the decades, but not without overcoming some challenges, they recalled.

One year, squirrels got inside of a storage barn, requiring items to be steam-cleaned. Another year, floods dampened storage items in basements around town.

Another year during set-up, as volunteers waited out a torrential downpour, a transformer across the street blew up, causing all the lights inside the church to go out, Davis recalled. But power came back on in a few hours and the sale was held.

Betsy Webster, church archivist at the First Congregational Church, said the loyalty of the volunteers is extraordinary.

“It’s the same group of hard, hard-working people who come day after day, and hour after hour,” she said.

The sale will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, July 8, and from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, July 9.

The remaining intake for the sale will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Friday, July 1, as well as on the evening of Thursday, June 30 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The First Congregational Church is located at 2 Ferry Road, Old Lyme. More information is available by contacting (860) 434-8686 or fccol@fccol.org. A list of items that can be donated to the sale is available at www.fccol.org.

k.drelich@theday.com