By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Bargains on the Bricks, an annual downtown Hays tradition including sidewalk sales, bake sales and vendors, is this Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We fill Main Street from 8th to 12th” said  Sara Bloom, executive director of the Downtown Hays Development Corp. “We have 19 vendors, not including all of the vendors that will also move to Main Street from the Downtown Hays Market. We usually have 10 to 15 vendors that participate in that, so you know we’ll have probably 20 to 30 different vendors that will fill Main Street.

“It’s also a great way to save a lot of money and to see the different businesses downtown, but … we’re going to have bake sales, we’re going to have raffle tickets, we’re going to have a garage sale that’s benefiting the the new Hays Community Theatre’s location and their remodel,” she said. “So it’s going to have a little bit of everything for everybody.”

Along with the sales and vendors, live music will permeate the air from Union Pacific Park, with two bands performing during the morning.

Map of the Bargains on the Bricks event.

In conjunction with the event the Cancer Council of Ellis County will be hosting the Hit the Bricks 5K. In the past, that event was in conjunction with the DHDC BBQ contest, but schedule changes for events has made the race fit better with the sidewalk sale event.

“It takes place in downtown, but it is organized by the Cancer Council of Ellis County. This is their third year partnering with the DHDC,” Bloom said. “They are an organization that provides sunscreen education and financial services to cancer patients and their families.”

The money raised during the race goes toward the mission of serving those patients, according to Bloom.

While the sale is a longtime tradition, this year will be a little different. For the first time in many years, the sale is a stand-alone event. “It’s going back to the days of old,” Bloom said. Previously, the sale had been in conjunction with the BBQ, Blues and Bargains.

Bloom said bargain hunters will be pleased with the event.

“A lot of (the vendors) are going to be advertising or selling merchandise the lowest that you will see all year, even come the holidays,” Bloom said, and suggested participants from the Ellis County Fair could take a break and stop by Main Street.

While the vendor deadline has passed, Bloom said if someone was interested in a last-minute signup, arrangements could be made.

“If there are other nonprofits or stores that want to come down and sell, they’re absolutely welcome to. We can always add them to the map. It is easy to update,” She said. “If people want to come sell, absolutely we won’t turn them away. Same thing with the race.”

For more information about the sale or the race visit the events webpage.