BLOOMINGTON - Two-year-old Nina Fey of Gridley got her first chance to tickle the ivories at the annual Pantagraph Garage Sale on Saturday.

After hearing the notes she struck on a piano for sale while seated in her stroller, her father, Paul, joked that they were going to sign her up for The Julliard School of music in New York.

The family, along with her mom, Heather Fey, and sister Zhenya, 4, were among more than 3,000 people, including many families, who attended the event at the Interstate Center in Bloomington.

"This horse makes a noise when you squeeze its ear," said Paul Fey as he showed some of the bargains they found including books, a coat and board games.

Garage sale-goers also heard piano music from Ron Scott, the owner of Poor Man's Piano Dealer, who also had three pianos for sale. Often a child or two sat on the piano bench with him, adding some notes as Nina had.

"I'm a people person," he said of all the attention he got. He usually sells pianos at Third Sunday Market at the Interstate Center, but this was his first time as a garage sale vendor.

Like most years, there was a collection of odd items, including plastic Boy Scout bears, tractor warning lights, a pink plastic cake, a dinosaur soap holder, and a Kiss band member doll.

Dan Warren of Bloomington, a design engineer for Caterpillar, found a pin with the company's logo on it. "I've never seen a small pin like this," he said, pleased with his purchase. The Cubs fan, attired fittingly, also looked for baseball memorabilia.

Most people could carry their purchases out - sometimes with a trip or two to their vehicle. "I've already made two trips to the car," joked Jo Pouliot of Mackinaw as she carried a bag with jigsaw puzzles, books and more children's clothing.

She bought little shirts, pants, and dresses to give them away. Every year she picks a bunch of cute things in various sizes and donates them to the Christian Civic Outreach in Peoria. People in need can get the clothes for free there, she said.

Garage sale vendors were creative marketers. One man handed out free tote bags for each purchase, another had a 50 percent off sale, some had whole bins of items for 25 or 50 cents, and one promoted a rusty olden-days push mower with a "go green" sign.

People started lining up in Interstate Center's lobby at 6:15 a.m., more than an hour before the doors opened, said Terri Haerr, community service coordinator for The Pantagraph, who welcomed shoppers.

"I like seeing what people come out with," she said. A neon sign was among the most interesting items this year, she added.