Sunday, August 17, 2008 1:01 AM CDT
47th annual Mennonite Relief Sale brings together friends and families, helps others
By DAWN SCHABBING, Features Writer
dschabbing@jg-tc.com
Those wanting to help others locally and around the world might want to take a drive to the Arthur Mennonite Relief Sale in Arthur on Friday and Saturday.
The fundraiser for the Mennonite Central Committee is held indoors at the Otto Center, located about 1/2 mile south of Arthur, off of Illinois Route 133.
On Friday, the viewing of the items starts at 4 p.m. The auction runs from 6 to 9 p.m.
On Saturday, the auction begins at 8 a.m.
But besides the locally hand-crafted furniture, quilts, toys, and household decor items, there are plenty of food offerings during the auction.
Steve Miller, chairman of the Arthur Mennonite Relief Sale board, said the event kicks off at 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. Friday with a barbecue pulled pork meal.
Food offerings on Saturday include a breakfast of pancakes and sausage from 6 to 10 a.m. and butterfly pork chops, river fries and barbecue chicken from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Children’s games begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“There are a lot of volunteers who really believe in this cause and there are lots of faithful bidders that come out every year,” said Miller.
This is the 47th annual event in Arthur where hundreds of buyers in the past have come from across the United States and Canada.
Miller, 32, said the event came about in Arthur when the local Mennonite group sprung off of another group that was working to help the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).
According to the Web site www.prairienet.org/arthurreliefsale, the Arthur Mennonite Relief Sale is a community effort of many churches and individuals who come together throughout the year to help others.
Help comes through agricultural assistance, community development and social services for the hungry and the needy of the world, according to the Web site.
Proceeds from the sale help support the work of the MCC, a cooperative relief and service agency located in Akron, Penn.
MCC was started by Mennonites in 1920 to help alleviate the famine in Russia. Today it has numerous volunteers working in America and countries around the world.
Miller said 80 percent of relief sale proceeds go toward MCC efforts. But, locally, 20 percent is also distributed to help people in need.
“We keep our eyes peeled for families who might need our help,” he said.
Also, with that 20 percent, several area Mennonite, Amish and Christian churches benefit in central Illinois.
“We branched off from another group in Northern Illinois who came to us asking for goods to sell in their benefit auction,” said Miller. “Some businessmen in our area decided to start our own sale and draw from our own area. It grew from there.”
Typically, more than 500 bidding numbers are distributed at the sale. Some families come to visit and socialize, and renew past friendships, he said. Some come for the food, others to buy some of the hand-crafted items.
Food items available at the two-day event include donuts, pastries, soft hot pretzels, lemon shake-ups, hot dogs, ice cream, fresh baked cookies, breads and cakes and noodles.
Furniture and household items to be sold this year include: dining room sets hand-made locally; about 40 quilts and quilted items, mostly all hand-made; book cases; filing cabinets; children’s furniture; lawn furniture; plant stands, entertainment centers and more.
“We try to trend upwards each year. Last year gross sales were about $129,000,” said Miller.
Throughout its early years the relief sale was held in different locations and at different times of the year. Arthur hosted the first relief sale in February 1962, where $2,000 was raised.
In 1970, the event was moved to September, when weather was more predictable. In 1979, the relief sale was moved to the county fairgrounds, a week after the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair was held.
While the dates remained about the same, the location was moved permanently inside to the Otto Center in 2001, to avoid heavy rainfall, the Web site reported.
Contact Dawn Schabbing at dschabbing@jg-tc.com or 238-6864.
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