Inuvik (May 14/04) - The old saying "One man's junk is another man's treasure" never rings with more truth than when cruising garage sales in search of that must-have item.

Saturday afternoon, the Aurora College gymnasium was turned into a bazaar of discarded delights as the SPCA held its annual garage sale.

Videos, CDs, clothing as well as a myriad of knickknacks covered the tables and the racks that filled the gym.

During my search for that hidden gem, I was pleased as punch at scooping Burt Reynolds' "The Longest Yard" on video for a dollar. Keep in mind this is the pre-toupee Reynolds era, not to be missed.

And while Brenegan Baskin tried the 'hard-sale' technique to off-load a Queasy Bake Oven -- the boy's version of the Easybake Oven where users are encouraged to make macabre edibles -- I missed out on a $2 portable television that Cathy Francis scooped up.

But in the spirit of garage sale etiquette I shared in the excitement of her purchase before heading to the clothing racks to discover an amazing wool jacket -- perfect for spring and just $4.

Nevertheless, Baskin's sales methods reminded me a little of my younger sister and her enterprising behaviour at a family garage sale many moons ago.

In my father's attempts to clean our basement, he employed the "everything must go" philosophy and this included my sister's prized spring-loaded pony.

Not wanting to part with it, she priced the item very high to discourage buyers. Nearing the end of the day, she suggested to my father that the price of the pony be reduced to a dollar whereby he happily agreed, believing that the large toy would leave our home forever.

A few minutes later, my sister came out of the house with a dollar in change, paid my father and proceeded to haul the pony back inside the house.

As for what remained at the end of Saturday's SPCA garage sale, much of the goods will be turned over the End of the Road Music Festival Garage Sale to be held at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex, June 5. All proceeds will go towards the August music festival planned for the weekend of the 27th.

Anybody looking to get rid of any saleable items is asked to contact the town office to arrange a pick-up, free-of-charge.