The aroma of hot-dogs and homemade soup began to fill the lobby by 8 a.m.
when the doors officially opened for business. Before long, strolling accordion player and entertainer John Rutkowski was dishing out polka tunes and cracking jokes. Customers started lining up by 7 a.m. to get in the doors. "The accordion player is here every year," said Daniels, who could-n't resist getting enthused over the event that brought in donations for repairs to the Boyertown Community Library to help with last summer's fire damage. "Each year we pick a charity and the proceeds from the donation table and the food goes to them," she said. The donation table was stocked with items given by residents and staff members or anyone who wanted to clean out their closets for a worthy cause. Chestnut Knoll employee Shawn Barndt said shoppers were asked to give whatever they wanted and added, "They tend to be more generous when they know it's a fundraiser." Although the economy may have people worried about finances, they were willing to give their time. Muhlenberg Boy Scout Troop 171 members Josh Rothermel and Dalton Kramer ran the donation table with Dalton's dad Karl.
Younger Scouts Michael and Elijah served hot-dogs. Dalton said he volunteers about once a month to help residents with their memories. He participates in a program called posit science that helps people identify sounds and challenge their memories.