Along with so many of the events community members look forward to, Rejoice Lutheran Church’s annual Lutefisk & Swedish Meatball Dinner and Fall Festival was cancelled this year. Traditionally held in the fall, this spring the Clearwater church decided the event would have to be cancelled due to the pandemic. However, the festival is Rejoice’s largest fundraiser each year, and losing it was a big financial blow.

“Without it we’re hurting, especially with the impact of COVID,” said congregant Rhoda Senkler, who has volunteered a lot of her time with the festival over the years.

“We were looking for ways we could recapture some of that and had the idea to break the festival into smaller components.”

A couple of weeks ago Rejoice did just that, holding the ‘Granny’s Attic’ portion of their festival as a three-day solo event.

Granny’s Attic is basically a garage sale, with members of the church bringing in items they no longer need for the church to sell.

When the call went out for donations, congregants responded in force, bringing in box after box of new and gently used items, which volunteers sorted and arranged on tables indoors. Larger items, like furniture, were also on display, and fresh produce was available outside.

This year, instead of pricing each item individually, organizers decided to try the ‘free will’ approach, where buyers decide what they feel the items are worth. The change was a success, with Granny’s Attic bringing in more money than its portion of the festival had in previous years.

Although it hasn’t been decided yet, organizers are looking into holding other components of the fall festival in the next few months, with the possibility of a silent auction and craft sale later in October and a bake sale in November or December.

Rejoice extended thanks to the community, their volunteers, and everyone who brought in donations for helping to make the event such a success. All money raised from Granny’s Attic will go to the church’s general fund.

The fall festival was begun as a traditional way of honoring the area’s Scandinavian heritage. Along with the meal, activities were added to reach out to others and make the day one that can be enjoyed by all.