Photo by Deb Gau Customers browsed items ranging from books to a large fish tank at a garage sale on Lawrence Street on Saturday. Marshall held community-wide spring garage sales over the weekend.

MARSHALL — Spring might be the season for cleaning house, but it can also be a time for bargain hunting. The two go together at community-wide garage sales, like the ones held in Marshall and other area towns over the weekend.

On Friday and Saturday, area residents could browse among dozens of garage sales in Marshall — although the weather turned out to be better for it on Saturday.

Duane Moret was out for an afternoon bike ride when he stopped to check out a garage sale on East Lyon Street.

“It’s always fun to look,” Moret said.

At other sales around town, people said they were going to see what they could find, whether they had something special in mind or not.

“We meant to go to just one,” Aaron Mettler said. But she and Sara Maronde started checking out other garage sales in the same neighborhood on Saturday.

Some rummage sales brought special items into the mix. One yard on Deschepper Street was full of colorful windmills, pink flamingoes, birdhouses and other wooden lawn ornaments built and decorated by Wally and Fernetta Brown.

“It started with a Mickey and Minnie Mouse. It just grew after that,” Fernetta Brown said. She said she and Wally brought a supply of lawn ornaments to sell as part of the garage sale at her sister Ardyce Minnig’s home.

Minnig said she had family and friends bring items to the garage sale. With more people and things to sell, they could make use of the whole garage space. It’s worked out well so far, she said.

And with the exception of Friday’s rainstorms, “We’ve always had great weather,” Minnig said.

Several sales in Marshall were put together by families or groups of neighbors.

Steve Simmons said his family got together at his niece’s home in Marshall.

“You can’t have a rummage sale out in the country,” he said. Bringing sale items into town meant more potential buyers could see them.

Meeting the shoppers browsing garage sales was part of the fun, sellers said.

“It’s really nice to visit with the people,” Simmons said.

Lisa Rosenboom said there had been plenty of people who stopped by a multi-family sale on Lawrence Street — she had even seen delivery drivers take a look as they passed through the neighborhood.

“We’ve had all kinds of people. It’s kind of fun,” Rosenboom said.