BoCo museum fundraises with community yard sale

September 3, 2025

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The Bonner County Historical Society and Museum is raising funds for general operations with a community yard sale Saturday, Sept. 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lakeview Park (611 S. Ella Ave., in Sandpoint). All merchandise will be donated by the community, helping locals clear out storage space while funding the museum’s education and preservation efforts.

“I’ve been calling it the ‘Stories Unknown’ yard sale, because sometimes people try to donate items to our collection, but they have no story that ties them to Bonner County history, so we can’t accept them,” said Executive Director Hannah Combs. “This yard sale is a great place to pass on those special pieces to someone who can infuse them with new meaning. And, who knows, maybe someday they’ll wind up in our collection after they grow more stories.”

The Bonner Co. History Museum after it first opened in the early 1980s. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Donate “nice old things” — furniture, jewelry, art and more, but no clothes — during regular business hours every day until noon on Friday, Sept. 5. Please email pictures of large pieces to [email protected] before lugging them down to the parking lot.

Proceeds from the sale will support the museum’s general operations — funds that are now more important than ever since new expenses have begun to pop up in its aging building. Staff recently discovered that the museum needs a new roof, which will cost an estimated $90,000. During the Fiscal Year 2026 budget discussions, the Bonner County board of commissioners voted to increase the historical society’s budget from $25,000 in FY’25 to $40,000 in the coming year to help cover expenses.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Bonner County commissioners for approving an increased line item for the historical society for 2026,” said Combs.

“The more independent fundraising we do, the more we can invest county funds in efforts that will protect the collection, such as replacing the roof,” she later added.

Before spending any money on building improvements, staff will create a comprehensive plan for the facility and renew the museum’s 40-year lease in Lakeview Park. The Sandpoint City Council discussed the lease at the Sept. 3 meeting, but had not made any decisions as of press time.