On Monday November 2, at our regularly scheduled meeting, there will be no speaker. Instead, we will hold a mini auction for about 1 hour. We already have this nice venue as well as the wonderful group of ladies that cook for us. No need to pay for a facility or for food. We will have a special menu that day, to try to make it festive, including an assortment of pies, like we always had at our big auction, and perhaps some Mocktails, non alcoholic cocktails. We will have a professional Auctioneer. In the coming weeks we will solicit 3 or 4 Big Ticket auction items that have the potential of generating significant dollar amounts.
Background:
From 1977 until 2015 The Rotary Club of Wooster held an Antiques & Collectibles Auction every Spring, at Fisher Auditorium on the campus of OARDC until 2008, then at Wooster High School from 2009 until the final auction in April 2015. It was the major fundraiser for our club as well as being a huge community draw which attracted many hundreds of visitors, sellers and buyers from our entire region.
For a variety of reasons, mostly declining revenue, our club decided that the 2015 auction would be our last. In the years since, we have tried some other fundraisers like Meals With a Mission at TJs Restaurant, and the Wine, Bourbon & Tequila Tasting at Greystone Event Center. In the meantime, our Flag program has become our major source of funds to support our various community efforts like the trophies for the annual Speech & Debate Tournament at WHS, expenses and trips for our YE students, and our dictionary project, to name a few. The flag program, though, has quite a few expenses of its own such as buying replacement flags and poles each year, and paying community groups to help put up and take down the flags.
President Marty approached Joie Schmitz about continuing the Wine Tasting at Greystone. Joie and I discussed it, and our conclusion was that it is a very nice social event but not a reliable fundraiser. Marty asked for some new ideas to raise money to supplement the flag program. Any of you who know Joie or have worked with her on various Rotary projects understand that she is a very intelligent, talented and creative person. She bounced several ideas off me, and here is the one we both liked best. We have already explained the basics to the Board and they told us to pursue it. So, here goes: On Monday November 2, at our regularly scheduled meeting, there will be no speaker. Instead, we will hold a mini auction for about 1 hour. We already have this nice venue as well as the wonderful group of ladies that cook for us. No need to pay for a facility or for food. We will have a special menu that day, to try to make it festive, including an assortment of pies, like we always had at our big auction, and perhaps some Mocktails, non alcoholic cocktails. We will have a professional Auctioneer. In the coming weeks we will solicit 3 or 4 Big Ticket auction items that have the potential of generating significant dollar amounts.
Here is where you, our club members and Board members, come in.
1. Any of you that owns a vacation property which you would be willing to offer up for a week’s use, or if there is someone in the community you know that might be willing to do the same thing, please let us know. That would make for a great auction item.
2. Any of you that has a used car or truck, antique or not, that you would be willing to donate, please let us know. Many of us have kids or grandkids that are looking for a vehicle.
3. Any of you that has something you think would make an attractive auction item, and which you are willing to donate, please let us know. Examples: a piece of antique furniture, an oriental rug, a piano in good shape, to name but a few. This could be a good opportunity to clean out your basement or attic, or maybe you are in the process of downsizing and have some items neither you nor your family wants.
When you arrive on November 2 you will receive your bidder number and paddle. Bring your spouse, partner or a friend. The more, the merrier. We will have photos from past auctions running on a loop on our screens, and club memorabilia will be displayed throughout the room.