Aug. 4 event came from the imaginations of United Church of Christ members

Aside from lemonade stands and baseball games, few summertime traditions hold as much sway as a neighborhood garage sale.

Or swag, for that matter.

Next Saturday, Aug. 4, community members can partake in a unique "one man's trash is another man's treasure" event when the Forest Grove United Church of Christ holds its first progressive garage sale.

It means, said church member James Houx, that folks are invited to "progress" from one garage to another in hopes of discovering items too good to leave behind.

"It's a micro-version of our annual rummage sale," said Houx, who, along with Ellen Fiscus and Amber Mather-Hall, are coordinating the sale, set to unfold at five separate sites around town. "Many people at our church have hung onto items for the rummage sale throughout the year, and we asked the question, 'How can we get that stuff out'?"

Even though the UCC's rummage sale — a gigantic one-stop-shopping extravaganza held in the parking lot at 19th Avenue and Main Street — reeled in between $6,000 and $10,000 for church programs in 2009, 2010 and 2011, it isn't happening this year for a variety of reasons.

For one thing, said Fiscus, the warehouse on the south side of the gravel parking lot, where UCC members stored donated items, wasn't available this year. Also, the rummage sale requires a lot of volunteer hours in order to run smoothly, added Jennifer Yocum, pastor of the local congregation.

"Fundraising events have life cycles, and some are shorter than others," she explained. "We love the idea of a progressive sale because it's really self-contained — one day and it's done."

Google maps, created by Houx and outlining the locations of the five households on the progressive sale tour, are available at fgucc.org. Starting at 9 a.m. the morning of the sale, folks can show up at one of the sites and begin shopping. The event will last until 4 p.m.

"They can start anywhere and end anywhere," noted Yocum, who's pleased with the creativity displayed by her parishioners in putting on the upcoming sale. Sale-goers will be invited to collect "passports" they can get stamped at each site to add an adventurous element to the event.

"Look for our pink plastic flamingoes in the yards of all the sale sites," Fiscus said. For $1, people can also enter a 50/50 drawing and receive half of the donated money.

Yocum said she hopes to raise between $2,000 and $3,000 at the treasure hunt-style event. The money will be deposited into the church's general fund, which, similar to those at other churches, has suffered in the economic downturn.

"For us, fundraisers have become a significant source of income," noted Yocum. The UCC's fall auction supports mission efforts, which make up one-fifth of the church's annual budget.

A street dance, planned for Aug. 29 as part of the Forest Grove Farmers Market, will accept donations to support the UCC's music ministry.

For more information about the progressive garage sale, call the church at 503-357-9121.