TUSTIN : Yard Sale Represents Years of Scavenging

Catherine Burnett, Nancy Allis and Leslie Bigos toiled in the midday sun Friday, sorting and pricing the souvenirs of their North A Street neighbor Charlie Shaw’s longtime hobby--scavenging.

Parachutes, piles of brand-new shoes, unopened party invitations, paper plates and several wedding dresses were among the treasures that Shaw has collected over the years during regular bicycle trips to trash bins of stores.

“Egads! Did I do all this?” Shaw said as he looked at the piles of merchandise laid out for an enormous garage sale held on his behalf this weekend.

“This is a commentary on what our society throws away,” Bigos said. “This is stuff that can still be used.”

The women, their husbands and other neighbors decided to help Shaw clean up his yard and sell the useful items to prevent the city from declaring his property a nuisance and charging him to remove the refuse.

Since then, his neighbors have filled almost two 40-cubic-foot dumpsters. During the next two days, they expect to fill more and sell some of the stuff at Burnett’s house at 155 N. A St.

The garage sale--which will help pay for the dumpsters--is set for today and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Forty volunteers from the neighborhood, Southern California Edison and Lighthouse Christian Fellowship Church in Irvine are expected to help clear Shaw’s yard and run the sale.

Shaw, who admits that his collecting got a little out of control, said he appreciates what everyone is doing but is sad to see some of the items go.

“After you get rid of something, everyone knows that two weeks later is when you need it,” Shaw said. As for the scavenging, he said he will try to give it up. Burnett said city officials will inspect Shaw’s property on Monday to see if it meets with city code.