University students and members of the community rummaged through tables full of flower vases, children’s toys, kitchen appliances and roller skates Thursday at the University’s Stock Pavilion.

The scene at the fifth annual University YMCA’s Dump and Run was a garage sale addict’s dream come true.

Students wandered through the crowd carrying boxes full of cooking utensils and bed sheets, shuffling their feet on the wood chips that line the ground of the pavilion, located at 1402 W. Pennsylvania Ave.

John Griesbaum, University alumnus, and Brad Cosentino, graduate student, sat together on a plaid couch that they planned to purchase for $15, surveying the crowd.

“I walked in and I came straight here, and I haven’t really moved,” Griesbaum said. “You gotta plan ahead and claim your territory.”

The two men knew they needed to purchase a couch for an office they share, but they weren’t sure of their criteria before the sale.

“We really go by instinct,” Cosentino said. “I’ve been really disappointed by the things that are available at local thrift stores,” he said. “I don’t find much there and it seems like their prices are really high. They have a lot of clothes, but in terms of appliances and furniture, there’s not much. And garage sales involve too much traveling.”

The event is co-sponsored by the International Student and Scholar Services.

In a previous interview, Rachael Dietkus, director of development for the University YMCA, said, “(The University) has so many international students that come here with absolutely nothing. The Dump and Run is a great way for them to furnish their apartments with couches, bookshelves, basically anything.”

That was much the case for Kim Pham, a graduate student from Vietnam. Pham said he heard of the event when he checked in with the office for International Student and Scholar Services.

Though Pham lives in University housing, he was still looking for some items to help complete his living area.

“I wanted to find a desk lamp and a bean bag (chair),” Pham said. “I’ve seen a lot of useful things. I just bought a keyboard, then today I found one for much cheaper and I wish I had waited.”

Pham said he thinks the Dump and Run is a great place to look for certain items, but there are other things, like cooking utensils, that students might not be able to hold off on. Nevertheless, he said that students should definitely try to wait for the sale each year in order to find all the non-essential items.

John Lammers, a volunteer with the Champaign-Urbana Kiwanis Club, said he believes the Dump and Run is the perfect place for students to find furnishings for their living spaces.

“Most of the things dumped are dumped by students or their parents, and most of the things bought are by students,” Lammers said. “This is the third year (at the Stock Pavilion) and before that it was held at the (YMCA), but it was just a madhouse, we ran out of room.”

“I think the (YMCA) should be commended for doing this for students and their families,” Lammers said.

Remaining days for the Dump and Run:

Friday, August 25: 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. (free admission)

Saturday, August 26: 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. ($3 bag sale)

Here are the prices for some of the more practical items (and some that are just plain interesting). Hundreds of different items are for sale:

– Dish rack- $1

– Crock-pot- $7

– Chandelier- $10

– Clock radio- $3

– Life Jacket- $2

– Speakers- $25 each

– Nail polish- $1

For more information, call the University YMCA at (217) 337-1500