With a cold rain falling on the tents along Flint Street in Bancroft both vendors and shoppers seemed determined to have fun.

There was hand crafted furniture, meditation huts, plants, art, crafts and great food.

Sarah Vance and her team were out raising funds for the York River School with the help of an extraordinary mini-putt game featuring the new YRPS mascot. Artist Kevin Hockley from Hockley Studios was pleased to see so many admiring the otter mascot he had just completed for YRPS.

"It took three days to make," Hockley said. "It was my first cartoon otter."

The otter was part of a mini putt game set-up by Vance to generate interest in a golf tournament running at the Bancroft Golf Course on June 24. Vance has set a $10,000 goal for the 9 hole tournament that she says will be fun and not so competitive.

Also at the tournament will be fabulous Indian foods says Vance and Avneet Bains showed up to Vance's booth with a platter of fresh pakoras to warm spirits in the pouring rain.

The pakoras didn't last long.

Local merchants also participated in the day-long event with sidewalk sales and store-wide sales.

Down Hastings Street crowds huddled under the Home Again tent outside of Critter Comfort and Clips to eat burgers and hot dogs and to help the animal rescue raise funds to re-house local strays and pets that have been surrendered.

And up at the Railway Station an auction was held to raise a few more dollars for the restoration project. All the auction items were donated and even the auctioneer was happy to give his time at a stage in the project where every little bit helps.

Wendy Melanson was set-up under a tent at the Train Station with a display that will eventually go into the new Bancroft Mineral Museum that will once again share the Train Station with the Bancroft and District Chamber of Commerce.

Rain and cold aside, the event that was organized by the BBIA and a couple of champions on council, was a great success. With the goal to drive traffic to the downtown core and provide a new event for the community, the Bancroft Tailgate Yard Sale delivered on what it promised.