Swap Off Drop Off Day

Hi Everyone,

Today the town is having their twice a year - swap off drop off day. There is one in the Spring and Fall. Without a doubt it is one of the more social days in town. Our local Dept of Public Works hosts this event along with the town recycling group. The event has become a massive opportunity to do some spring cleaning and take things to the recycling center for proper disposal and disassembly. They take old computers, old electronics, tv's, mattresses, cardboard, foam, furniture, styrofoam, paint, etc. About 100 volunteers work the event.

I will try to paint you a mental picture of the scene downtown. There are people everywhere, traffic jams, pedestrians, drop off lines, people pushing old lawn mowers down the sidewalks, the place is swarming with people and cars. This is organized chaos at its' best. In the center of this giant drop off loop is a swap off drop off area where people take things they hate to throw away. You can find all kinds of items in this circle, all free for the taking. Furniture, bikes, lawn mowers, books, paint, lumber, tools, and more. There is a temporary fence surrounding the area and only town people can enter before noon. The police watch the entrance but they aren't rigid about checking identifications. You can sit in a car and observe people try to strategize how to get into the swap off arena with the town citizens and slip in undetected. It's kind a comical. After noon, all of the surrounding towns can come in and take what's left. Can you imagine how many out of towners are lined up outside the gate waiting for their chance to get good stuff for free?

Well, I think its time for me to go and get my front row seat and watch the fun. This is free entertainment at its best - people watching! I'm going to stop at the local coffee shop and bring a portable coffee carafe to provide coffee to my friends!