Planning on cleaning out the garage before the summer makes the chore unbearable?

If you can get it done by Saturday, the City of Lathrop has a spot for you to peddle some of those wares without having to go through the hassle of advertising.

Lathrop’s annual Community Garage Sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 14, at 8 a.m. in the parking lot of the Lathrop Community Center – located at 15707 5th Street – and is open to all residents who are looking to get rid of extra things from their garage, attic, storage unit, or anywhere else that it may be accumulating.

For $30 residents will be given an 18-by-18 space to display what they brought in an effort to pick up extra cash. Proceeds from the event, which is being organized by the Lathrop Parks and Recreation Department, will benefit the department and its mission to provide opportunities for residents of the community to come together for personal enrichment.

And it hasn’t been an easy road for those looking to plan events for Lathrop residents during the times of COVID-19.

While many in-person events were abruptly cancelled at the onset of the pandemic, the City of Lathrop began to make a shift to a digital format for many things so that residents could still socialize and participate in activities while at the same time observing social distancing and protecting public health.

And some of those ways to promote engagement and unity were unique in their approach.

National Night Out – which usually draws thousands of people to city streets and neighborhood parks in August – included a sidewalk chalk handout for a decorating contest that allowed the event to shift to a drive-past  so that city leaders and public servants could still tour neighborhoods but with a renewed focus.

Other tabled events – like the annual Lathrop Days birthday celebration to mark the date that the City of Lathrop was incorporated – are finally back on this year after multiple years of not being held.

For additional information, or to sign up for the community garage sale, visit the Parks and Recreation Departments website at www.ci.lathrop.ca.us/parksandrec or call 209.941.7372.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544