A Garage Sale Junkie's Dream To Benefit HHS Marching Band

Eileen Lyons’s daughter, Sarah, is starting her second year this fall as a band member of the awarding-winning Huntley High School Marching Red Raiders.

So organizing the huge benefit garage sale for the band is a labor of love for the Algonquin mom.

Lyons is hosting the garage sale with the help of band members’ families, who have donated all the items.

“I have a three-car garage and it’s filled with anything you can think of,” said Lyons, who volunteered to have the sale because she lives on a high-traffic street that is perfect for a garage sale. “We have household items, purses, toys, shoes, clothing. We have gotten so many donations.”

Parents still were dropping off items Tuesday in preparation for the sale, which begins Thursday, July 28.

Families often have additional costs associated with being in the marching band, and the band always could use more funds to buy things that don’t necessarily get budgeted, Lyons said.

“There’s a lot more costs than the school can keep up with,” she said.

Last year, the band was able to purchase a trailer for the equipment with the money raised through various fundraisers, she said. This year, the garage sale is just one of the parents’ efforts to raise money. There will be additional events later in the season.

Sarah Lyons joined the marching band last year. It was a big year for the band, with the debut of its new uniforms. The Marching Red Raiders received numerous awards under Nick Konwerski, including first place in the Class AAA parade competition at the Marengo Settlers’ Day Parade. Click here to see a video of the Marching Red Raiders in the parade.

“It’s just such a neat thing to be involved in,” Eileen Lyons said. “The kids are so talented, and it’s so exciting for the parents as well.”

The garage sale will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, July 28, through Sunday, July 31, at 3740 Persimmon Drive, Algonquin. The site is at the corner of Bunker Hill and Persimmon.