Luke Beauregard shows off a box of toys he has found during Curb Alert
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Swap Shop has been a popular summer feature of the Medfield Transfer Station for years. There, people can leave unwanted, but useful items for others to take. It’s no surprise that residents were disappointed when it was announced that the Swap Shop wouldn’t open for the 2020 season as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Residents have found a solution, though.
Saturday, July 18, marked the second Curb Alert weekend this year. As its name suggests, this newly established event calls for residents to leave their unwanted, but usable items at the end of their driveways for others to freely take. Those leaving items out provided a list of what people could find in their driveway, along with their addresses, on the event advertisement on the Swap Shop Facebook page (@medfieldswapshop). Some households even joined together and provided a neighborhood list to make it easier for people to find items they may be seeking. By the day of the event, there were well over 50 comments containing items and addresses on the Facebook post.
Residents left items out early Saturday morning. By 10:00, the town was buzzing with people visiting other neighborhoods, searching through the collections of knickknacks left for them to peruse. College kids and their parents searched for accessories for their dorms and apartments, with move-in day fast approaching. Adults went from house to house, looking for tools or supplies. The youngest participants found new toys to play with, while their parents foraged for unnoticed treasures.
Jessie Beauregard and her son, Luke, went out during week two to see what they could find. “We came out looking for a sandbox, but last week was so great that we decided to come out. It’s fun. You can go around the town, you get to know the streets and all the different areas, and also get free stuff,” said Beauregard. “We found more furniture last week. But this week we’re finding more books and kids toys.” Luke was especially excited about the Nerf dart gun he had found during the search.
The event, only intended to take place on Saturday, stretched into Sunday morning. For two days, Medfielders could search to their heart's content for pretty much anything. Residents were able to rid themselves of items cluttering their houses, while others were able to uncover treasures that they wouldn’t otherwise have found. For all, the Curb Alert seemed to bring back the ethos of the Swap Shop: one person’s trash may well be someone else’s treasure.
