SCIPIO - On Sunday, amid cornfields and pastures, families came to the Scipio Volunteer Fire Department's annual community yard sale.

The tradition began a few years ago, when community members sought a way to host a family-friendly, fun event that would bring the village together and help raise money for the volunteer fire department. Twenty families participated in the event, paying the fire department to rent tables to sell everything from jewelry to baby clothes and arrangements of wooden roses.

The sale opened at 10 a.m., and the famed chicken barbecue began at 11. By 11:30, the chicken was sold out. Sharon Pettit, one of Scipio's own volunteer firefighters, said that most customers have learned to order their chicken ahead of time.

“We almost always sell out,” she said, proudly explaining they sold 313 chicken halves this year.

The money made from the barbecue benefits the fire department, helping them pay for new trucks and equipment.

“We set a goal and then work towards it - we work hard,” Pettit said.

The Scipio Volunteer Fire Department currently owns one fire truck and a boat they were able to purchase without aid from taxes. The addition of a bake sale boosted funds this year and there is talk of making the brownies, cakes and cookies a part of the tradition.

Dawn Rejman, secretary for the department, manned a table of her own along with her grandson Chase. She expressed thanks for the good weather and the opportunity to raise money for the fire department and boost village pride.

“It's a nice community event,” she said, arranging the clothes for sale on her table. “It's really a great community gathering.”