Sky Tavern's annual ski swap starts today.
"It's one of the greatest events we do, we get the whole team back together and we get some new faces in." said Alicia Berkbigler with Sky Tavern. "People can purchase new ski equipment, they can buy used ski equipment, if they have ski equipment they want to sell we'll put it on the racks and try to sell it for them so they can have that extra money."
Every year the Sky Tavern junior ski and snowboard program puts hundreds of kids on skis and boards for the first time. It's the oldest, largest volunteer-run ski school of its kind in the country and the nonprofit relies on fundraisers like the swap to keep the lights on.
"The fees for the program only cover about 60% of the costs," Berkbigler said. "So this is a huge fundraiser for us. We do really well and it's been great year after year. We really appreciate the community's support; it keeps the program running and lets us get out there and teach the kids and let them have fun on the snow."
The swap will be held Friday, November 22nd and Saturday, Nov. 23 at the old Sports Authority building by Sam's Club on Kietzke. It opens to the public for selling on Friday from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Santa is making an appearance on Friday. The Sky Tavern Season usually begins, weather permitting, in January.
"We're looking forward to a really great year," Berkbigler said. "We have some special things coming up, so everyone keep your eyes and ears open and you'll see some really great stuff coming out of Sky Tavern."
