Thursday, October 23, 2008 3:41 PM CDT
Haiti benefit auction Friday, Saturday south of Arthur
By NATHANIEL WEST, Staff Writer
nwest@jg-tc.com
ARTHUR — Officials this weekend hope to transform handcrafted furniture and other goods into food, clothing and medicine for the impoverished nation of Haiti.
The 15th annual Illinois Haiti Benefit Auction, located a half-mile south of Arthur on County Line Road, begins with a barbecue chicken dinner from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday. The auction at the Otto Center commences at 8 a.m. Saturday.
Items for sale include furniture made at local Amish and Mennonite shops, quilts, antiques, baked goods and even a donated tractor, said coordinator Merle Plank.
“All the funds go directly to Haiti,” he said. “It’s the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and after (recent hurricanes) conditions are worse than ever.”
The Arthur event is one of six nationwide auctions under the Haiti Benefit Auction organization headquartered in Goshen, Ind. Other auctions are held in Florida, New York, Ohio and Indiana.
“We work throughout the year to get ready,” Plank said. “Friday and Saturday is the climax for our whole year’s work.”
Three complete bedroom sets will be up for sale, in addition to “a lot of fine furniture” such as China cabinets made in the Arthur area. A new horse-drawn buggy also will go on the auction block, as will a 1936 Hart-Parr Oliver tractor.
The main auction ring opens at 8 a.m. Saturday, and features quilts, furniture and small items. A second auction ring begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and includes shop tools; lawn and garden sheds; the buggy; and the tractor.
Baked goods like pies, noodles, breads and cookies will be sold throughout the day.
The auctions will be preceded by a breakfast with a full menu beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday. The auctions are expected to conclude by 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Because it is an auction, there is no sales tax.
“There’s something for everybody,” Plank said.
A program will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday, near the conclusion of the chicken dinner, during which missionaries from Haiti will discuss their efforts.
Last year’s auction raised more than $100,000, according to Plank.
He said visitors have traveled from more than three hours away. This year, he knows of a busload of people coming from Pennsylvania.
“It’s a really fun-filled day; a lot of hard work,” he said.
A crew of six auctioneers from the area and out-of-state will be present. Among them is Dan Otto, a missionary to Haiti.
“What makes (the auction) unique is everybody works together,” said Plank. “It’s all for somebody else. Here’s one cause where we come together, everybody rallies together.”
The schedule for the Illinois Haiti Benefit Auction is as follows:
Friday
4:30-7:30 p.m., barbecue chicken dinner.
7 p.m., presentations by Haiti missionaries.
Saturday
6 a.m., breakfast.
8 a.m., first auction ring opens.
9:30 a.m., second auction ring opens.
3:30 p.m., auctions close.
Contact Nathaniel West at nwest@jg-tc.com or 238-6860.
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